


Wakeful Water

by GrayRainbow173



Series: Braving the Elements [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cliffhangers, Complete, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 50,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26200399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrayRainbow173/pseuds/GrayRainbow173
Summary: COMPLETE: Kathryn goes on an away mission with some unexpected consequences as Seven struggles with herself while their relationship grows.Third part in my series 'Braving the Elements'. It probably won't make much sense if you haven't read 'Suppressive Fire' first. You don't have to read 'Intermezzo Inferno' though, that one is just for fun.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine
Series: Braving the Elements [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894309
Comments: 173
Kudos: 101





	1. Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last warning: there will be spoilers for 'Suppressive Fire'.  
> Also, like my other stories I will use cliffhangers from time to time. If that is not your thing you could bookmark the story for when it is complete and hopefully still enjoy it!  
> Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!

Seven was standing in a corner of the bedroom in the Captain’s quarters. She was staring at the bed, the bed she and Kathryn had shared so many times in the past months. But now that Kathryn wasn’t there, she just couldn’t sleep in it. She wasn’t even completely sure she was allowed to be in here, they had not discussed these details before Kathryn had to leave.

Kathryn was on an important away mission. She had left Voyager 4 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes and 7 seconds ago. Seven had tried to distract herself but she had been aware of every hour, minute and second slipping by, a corner of her mind counting the days since Kathryn had left. 

Voyager was travelling through a vast area of space controlled by one species, the Darursai. A highly evolved people with a vast knowledge of space travel and therefore a useful ally to have while crossing the Delta Quadrant.

Kathryn had taken a small away team to the Darursai homeworld, Revaik, to establish an alliance and hopefully share information about their engines. Meanwhile Voyager had travelled to the Durursai’s most important trading post where they had traded for some valuable supplies. Now they were on their way to Revaik to pick up the away team.

The decision who went with the Captain on the away mission had been difficult. Kathryn and Seven had discussed it in advance, in private. Both had been unwilling to part from each other but they also knew that they could not let their relationship interfere with ship’s business.

That had been a challenging balancing act even before they encountered the Darursai. It was easiest for Seven. She just had to remember to call Kathryn by her rank when they were in public and to still follow her orders while officially Commander Chakotay was her commanding officer now. 

This arrangement had been made to make sure that the crew did not feel like Seven was getting any special treatment from their Captain while also protecting Kathryn from having to make impossible decisions about her girlfriend. A standard procedure for partners of captains on long voyages.

Still Kathryn had found it difficult to remain objective, which was why she had discussed the away mission with Seven first.

“It wouldn’t be totally inappropriate for you to join me.” She said while pacing her Ready Room. Seven was happy that they had chosen this room for their discussion as it was easier to be objective and professional here than in the Captain’s quarters. 

“After all, it is not only a diplomatic mission but also a scientific one. We could learn so much from their propulsion systems.” Kathryn continued.

“Absolutely. However, Lieutenant Torres would be the more logical choice for that part, as the Chief Engineer.” Seven countered. 

“Well yes, I guess that is true. It would be unfair to leave B’Elanna out.” Kathryn nodded. 

“Tuvok should also go with you as Chief of Security.” Seven added. 

She had been relieved to hear that Tuvok wanted to accompany the Captain on this mission while Commander Chakotay stayed behind on Voyager. Seven knew she could protect the Captain just as well as Tuvok could but she also knew that she would not do it with the same diplomatic tact as the Lieutenant Commander.

Kathryn turned around, looking at her with an amused expression on her face. “If you don’t want to go, Seven…”

It had been decided not to send more than four people to Revaik. They did not want to send an overly large delegation. The Darursai were an advanced civilization but rather shy, they did not have many contacts with other species outside their own empire. Adding Tuvok to the away mission left only one more place.

Seven stood up from her seat and walked over to the Captain. Wrapping her in her arms she pressed her forehead against Kathryn’s. “You know I don’t want to be apart from you.” She said in a quiet voice.

“I know.” Kathryn whispered back. “I was just joking.”

“And I was just trying to be logical and fair about this.” Seven replied. “We can’t rob others from the opportunity to go just because we don’t want to be separated.”

Seven let go and moved a few steps back to create some professional distance again. “If we weren’t together, if we weren’t in a relationship, who would you have chosen?”

Kathryn knew it was a fair question but it was so difficult to remember how it had been before. And even back then she had had a tendency to involve Seven in projects where her presence wasn’t really necessary, just to be close to her. 

Sighing the Captain turned away and looked out her window at the stars, trying to clear her head. 

“Lieutenant Torres is the obvious choice as Chief Engineer.” The Captain acknowledged. “Bringing Tuvok is a logical and responsible choice. I also think he would enjoy seeing Revaik, it sounds a bit like Vulcan.”

Kathryn turned around again to look at Seven. “But that leaves only one spot open.”

Seven nodded at her, waiting for her to finish. Kathryn knew why, in the end it would be her choice.

“That spot should go to someone else from Engineering or Neelix as our Ambassador.” Kathryn finally said. 

“I was thinking of Neelix as well.” Seven admitted. “This mission will be mainly about diplomacy and that is where he shines.” 

“I will still have to discuss this with the senior staff but at least… we both agree then?” Kathryn hesitated. She wanted to make sure that they really both agreed on this, that she did not give Seven the idea that she was unwanted.

Seven saw the concern in Kathryn’s eyes and quickly grabbed both her hands in her own. She knew how hard it was for her girlfriend to balance their relationship and still be the Captain. 

“We do.” She told her, looking her straight in the eyes so she could see that she meant it. Then she leaned in for a gentle kiss.

“How long is this mission going to be?” She asked as she already felt a tension start to build inside of her.

“We have not discussed that yet. I guess it depends on how fast Voyager can get to the trading post and then to Revaik and on how much time B’Elanna needs to gather all the information we want.” Kathryn pulled both of Seven’s hands up to her lips and placed a kiss on them. “But trust me I will try to keep it as short as possible.”

The senior staff had agreed with sending B’Elanna, Tuvok and Neelix with the Captain. Seeing how exited they got at the opportunity to visit Revaik, even Tuvok, caused Seven to find some peace in the decision. 

Their last day together, Seven tried to prepare herself for Kathryn’s absence . They had kept their goodbye casual as it would only be for a few days. Also, Seven had hoped that by at least pretending that it was not a big deal to be apart, it would not be as hard as she imagined. But before they were dating Seven had already found it difficult to be apart from her Captain and this time it was so much worse. 

The main reason, she theorized, was because the past few months had been so glorious and an incredible adventure. 

Seven had worked hard on regaining her memory. After the second surgery to counter the failsafe in her cortical node, her nanoprobes had evolved to repair the damage done to her brain. This meant that they were even more effective than they had been before and they had restored all the necessary neurons for her memory to function much like it had before.

Seven had gone through all of her own personal logs and as many of the public logs and databases that she could find in the Computer. Her memories of her time on Voyager had been mostly restored. She also partly remembered her time with the Borg though she did not try as hard to get those memories back. The knowledge of the Collective was lost to her which had been a relief. Her own nightmares about the Borg were enough. 

Kathryn had helped her as much as possible and had challenged herself to give Seven as many new experiences as she could handle. They had spent a lot of time on the Holodeck and Seven had bombarded Kathryn with questions which she had answered patiently. 

Some of the new experiences were very personal and exciting and they all centered around the bed that Seven was currently staring at. Making love for the first time, sleeping side by side for the first time, waking up together for the first time, having breakfast together in bed for the first time... 

It had all been so wonderful. Thinking back on it she could still feel the waves of pleasure, the waves of love, the waves of peace wash over her. She had never been happier than she had been in those moments.

It made being apart so much harder. Seven felt alone even though she was still surrounded by the rest of the crew. She spend most of her time with Icheb in the Astrometrics Lab and Tom Paris had been extra kind to her, understanding better than anyone how she felt as his wife was also on the away mission. 

The days were not so much the problem, it was the nights.

No matter how much she wanted to, Seven could not lie down on the bed without Kathryn. Even though they had shared it on multiple occasions, these quarters still felt like the Captain’s quarters and Seven felt out of place being here without her.

Her only alternative was the Cargo Bay and her regeneration alcove. But somehow that was even worse. It was cold and extremely lonely down there. That she still needed Borg technology, still needed to regenerate had started to become a problem for her. It reminded her too much of her body still being Borg. 

These feelings had started to rise up inside her even before the away mission but now, without Kathryn’s soothing presence, they had crashed over her and swallowed her whole.

Regeneration was no longer an option, nor could she sleep. This created a bit of a problem as she was extremely tired but Seven knew she just had to hold on for a few more hours. Today Voyager would reach Revaik, today she would see Kathryn again. Then she would find her peace. All she had to do was get through one more night. 

At exactly 7 am Seven walked on to the Bridge. She could have spent her shift in the Astrometrics Lab as usual but she wanted to be as close to the action as possible. She needed to know the minute, no the second, that Kathryn was back on board.

Commander Chakotay nodded at her as she walked to her station behind the Captain’s chair. Tom swirled around in his chair to give her a wink and a knowing smile and then eagerly returned his attention to the viewing screen. 

Seven kept her eyes on the scans on the screens in front of her, watching Revaik get closer and closer. Still counting the minutes and seconds in her head. Finally they were close enough for communications and Chakotay gave Ensign Kim the order to open a channel with the Darursai. 

“Janeway here.” Kathryn’s voice unexpectedly returned the hail and Seven felt it go right through her body like lightning. 

“Captain! How are you? We are getting close to Revaik. Are you ready to come back to Voyager?” Chakotay asked.

“We are. The Darursai have been extremely kind to us and we have picked up some very useful information that will greatly benefit our engines. Lieutenant Torres is very excited.” Kathryn replied.

Seven glanced at Tom at the mentioning of his wife’s name and she could see an endearing smile on his face. 

“How did your own mission go?” The Captain asked. 

“Very well. We have all the supplies Engineering will need to make the alterations to the engines. We also got some new ingredients for Neelix to try out.” Chakotay reported.

“I’ll let him know.” Kathryn said with a laugh. “Signal us when you are in orbit. We will say our farewells so we will be ready to transport out the minute you are here.”

Chakotay quickly acknowledged and ended the transmission. The Captain had sounded happy but also eager to return to Voyager. Seven could feel a buzzing in her veins, almost as if her nanoprobes were preparing her for seeing Kathryn again. 

The short space they had to cross to reach Revaik and get into orbit seemed to go on forever. But then they finally arrived and after a short interaction between Chakotay and Kathryn the transporter was activated. 

Seven had trouble standing still. Part of her wanted to run to Transporter Room 1 to be there when Kathryn rematerialized but she knew she had to remain calm. Kathryn was the Captain right now and she would be on her way to the Bridge anyway.

“Transporter Room 1 to the Bridge.” The voice of Lieutenant Ayala called. 

“Go ahead Lieutenant. Do you have them?” Chakotay answered while getting up from the Captain’s chair.

“I do, Commander.” He replied and Seven’s heart skipped a beat. There was a hesitation in his voice, something was wrong. 

“But the biofilter has picked up an anomaly and is unable to remove it.” The Lieutenant continued.

An anomaly… Seven’s mind immediately started to go through every possibility, a virus, a microbe, or something unknown to their Federation database… she felt herself start to panic. An anomaly in the biofilter was never good, especially if it could not be removed. 

Taking in slow deep breaths Seven locked eyes with the Commander. There was concern in his eyes but he stayed calm. “Follow protocol Lieutenant and ask the Doctor to join you. I am on my way.”

The Commander hesitated for a moment, looking back at Lieutenant Paris at the Helm. “You better come with me, Tom. You too, Seven.”

After Chakotay told Ensign Kim that he had the Bridge and ordered him to stay in orbit, the three of them stepped into the turbolift to go to the transporter room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Darursai, their homeplanet Revaik and their science are my own creation, just taking some literary freedom with the Delta Quadrant. ;)
> 
> I will also use some Federation technology in this story, like the biofilter, but I am not an expert. So if I make mistakes please let me know.  
> Same goes for any grammar or spelling mistakes as English is not my native language.
> 
> In general, just let me know what you think!


	2. Clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who came back for part three of this series. 
> 
> Now in this chapter the crew will deal with the anomaly and I realize that it might be a bit painful for some as we are all currently living through the Corona (Covid) crisis. Please know that I had the idea for this story long before the virus took over the world and I hope the story will not be too distressing.
> 
> Let me know what you think by leaving kudos or better yet... a comment. Any feedback is welcome.

Kathryn felt extremely frustrated. She finally got back to Voyager and now she was stuck behind a forcefield on the transporter platform. 

The away mission had been an incredible success and the Darursai had been an excellent host. Their planet was exceptionally beautiful and their science had been mouthwatering. But Kathryn could not enjoy it as she would have done a few years back. She had missed Seven. It scared her a bit how much she missed her, like she could not function properly without her. 

She knew from experience that such feelings would normally fade a bit after the first few hot months of a new relationship but this time it had felt different. Of course she never had a relationship in space before and Seven had been so far away. The logical part of her mind tried to explain that that was the reason why it all had felt so terribly wrong.

When the doors of the transporter room opened she barely registered Chakotay and Tom Paris coming in. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Seven and she heaved a big sigh. As if she could finally breath again. But then the forcefield stopped her from getting of the platform and reaching Seven. 

“Captain. Everything alright? Do you feel any different?” Chakotay asked her and she had to tear her eyes away from her girlfriend to focus on her First Officer.

“I don’t.” She quickly said, leaving her confused feelings for Seven out of the picture. “I am sure it is nothing serious.”

Chakotay moved on to talk to Tuvok and Kathryn watched as Seven moved as close to her as she could get, almost touching the forcefield between them.

“Kathryn…” Seven said quietly. She did not care if any of the others heard her use the Captain’s first name but still she could not speak up. Her throat felt constricted as if her emotions were trying to strangle her. 

Finally there she was, her Captain… and yet she was still out of her reach. Seven’s eyes scanned Kathryn’s face, looking for any sign of distress, any sign that there was something wrong with her. Her ears focused on Kathryn’s heartbeat. It was a bit fast but that could just be from the stress of being confined.

Kathryn moved her hand up to touch the forcefield, making it light up where her skin touched it. Seven quickly understood and placed her own hand in the same place. She briefly considered using her Borg hand to force her way through but she knew that would be a breach of protocol and would case a hell of a scene.

After the first happiness from seeing Seven had worn down, Kathryn realized Seven looked awful. She looked worried, more worried than she should be. But Kathryn knew she would probably look the same if the roles were reversed. 

“Don’t worry, Seven.” Kathryn tried to calm her down. “It is probably nothing.”

Yet there was something else… Seven looked very tired. She was good at hiding it but Kathryn knew her well enough to see through it. Studying her more closely, Kathryn’s smile faltered.

Seven saw the change in her Captain’s eyes and quickly smiled back at her.

“I am sure it is…” She replied. 

Then their reunion was interrupted by the Doctor entering the transporter room. He quickly moved to stand beside Seven and started scanning the Captain while asking her all kinds of questions.

Seven quickly moved aside, removing her hand from the forcefield but not taking her eyes of Kathryn. 

Kathryn shot her another look but then turned to give the Doctor her full attention to assure him that there was nothing wrong with her. She was sure the biofilter had just picked up some alien particle or molecule from Revaik that it did not recognize.

Seven moved to the console where Lieutenant Ayala and Commander Chakotay were still studying the results from the transport. 

“Have you ever seen anything like this, Seven?” Commander Chakotay asked her without looking up.

Seven looked at the screen but as she saw the strange structure there, she knew she was out of her depth. The anomaly did not look like any single celled organism she knew nor did it look like a virus. According to the scans it was about the same size but it had a very diverse structure with lots of protruding arms. Some of them were knotted together while others had grasping cups at their ends.

“I don’t think so, Commander.” Seven replied. “At least not that I remember.”

Chakotay looked up at the tone of her voice and his eyes softened. “I am sorry, Seven. I forgot your memory loss for a moment.”

Seven nodded at him. If she still had had the knowledge of the Collective she might have known what this organism (if it was in fact an organism) was. Now she felt completely useless as she stared at the schematics and the little data the biofilter had collected. Dark clouds started to form in her mind.

The Doctor joined them as he had finished his examinations of the away team. He studied the scans as well but unfortunately had to tell them that his databases did not have any information on the anomaly either.

“I am sorry but do we really have to assume the worst?” B’Elanna’s voice cut through the awkward silence that followed the Doctor’s statement. “Perhaps it is nothing.”

“Perhaps Lieutenant.” The Doctor replied. “But the fact is that this anomaly was found in each and everyone of you. That makes it highly likely that it is at least contagious. Even though it could still very well be harmless.”

He turned to the Captain. “I would like to ask the Darursai if they might know what it is. You said their science is very advanced?”

“It is.” Kathryn answered him. “I am sure they will be able to tell us what it could be. We should contact them immediately. Are we still in orbit?”

“We are.” Chakotay told her. “I will send them a message right away.”

“Do we have to stay here while we wait for a reply?” Neelix asked no one in particular as he felt his claustrophobia play up.

“I think it will be safe to transport you all to Sick Bay.” The Doctor reassured him. “But I will have to set up quarantine forcefields there as well. We can’t risk this spreading, whatever it is.” 

While the Doctor moved back to the console to use the Computer to arrange the necessary precautions in Sick Bay, Seven walked back to the transporter platform.

Seeing the anomaly on screen had not calmed her nerves at all as it had looked very real and a little threatening. The idea that something unknown was creeping through Kathryn’s bloodstream made her skin crawl. 

Kathryn could see the fear in her girlfriend’s eyes and could not help but notice the dark rings under them. She did not feel any panic herself as her body did not feel any different than before. Encountering anomalies in space was part of the job and not necessarily something to worry about. Right now she was more worried about Seven.

“So how was your week?” She asked Seven, trying to distract her.

It worked, as Seven’s look of concern changed to one of amusement. Her ocular implant quirked up, the way it always did when she was intrigued by an unexpected question.

“It was…” She started to answer but then she looked from Kathryn to Neelix was was standing right next to the Captain, listening in. Tuvok was talking to Chakotay, giving him tips about talking to the Darursai. Meanwhile B’Elanna and Tom were having their own reunion, not bothered by any of the other people in the room.

“I survived.” She finished feebly, hoping that Kathryn could sense how much she had missed her. 

Kathryn smiled at the answer but before she could say anything else Chakotay walked up to them.

“I will get back to the Bridge and contact Revaik.” He told her. “The minute I hear something I will let you know.” 

“Very well. Thank you.” Kathryn replied, dismissing him. 

The Doctor was giving them a warning that he was going to transport the patients to Sick Bay. He, Tom and Seven would follow afterwards just to be safe.

As Chakotay and Ayala left for the Bridge, Seven and Tom moved back from the forcefield, exchanging a brief look. At least in Tom’s eyes, Seven could see some of her own fears mirrored. Knowing that he went through the same thing, comforted her like it had so many times in the past few days.

When they rematerialized in Sick Bay, Seven saw that each patient had been assigned a biobed with a forcefield surrounding it on all sides. Kathryn was on the far left with Tuvok right next to her, then Neelix and at the far right B’Elanna was already pacing the small space surrounding her own bed.

“I have separated you to make sure that we can monitor your health without any external stimuli. As your physiology differs, you being human, Vulcan, Klingon and Talaxian, the reactions you might have to this anomaly could be quite different.” The Doctor explained.

“Don’t get too excited, Doc.” B’Elanna told him as she sat down on her biobed. “We might not have any reaction at all.”

Tom and the Doctor started to plan how they would keep Sick Bay running with four patients there and all the forcefields in place. 

Seven felt useless once again and slightly overwhelmed. She had been so focused on getting through the past few days that she did not feel like she had any energy left to get through this. Being in Sick Bay wasn’t exactly calming her nerves. 

Kathryn was monitoring Seven’s expressions and could still see the restlessness on her face. The Captain prayed that all of this would be over soon so that they could get back to her quarters and relax together.

“Seven?” Kathryn asked her to come closer. Because she was only sharing one forcefield wall with another patient she had a field on the other side where Seven could stand close to her while giving them some privacy.

Seven quickly moved to that corner, eager to get as far away from the others as possible. Tuvok had sat down on his biobed and he almost looked like he was meditating. Perhaps he needed some solitude too. Neelix and B’Elanna had started talking about their visit to Revaik so they were distracted as well.

“How are you really doing, Seven?” Kathryn asked her after they both sat down. Seven had pulled up a stool close to the forcefield.

“I am fine.” Seven replied, not wanting to worry her girlfriend but she saw that her answer was not going to cut it. “I missed you terribly.”

“I missed you too.” Kathryn smiled. “Revaik was beautiful but the minute we got there, I wanted to get back to Voyager. To you.” 

Seven returned her smile and tried to relax. Looking up into Kathryn’s eyes, listening to her heartbeat had a very calming effect. She could not see any sign of sickness there and if she tried hard enough she could pretend they were alone without a forcefield separating them. Kathryn’s smile broke through the clouds in her mind.

“Tell me about Revaik.” She asked Kathryn, needing to keep hearing her voice.

Kathryn had just started telling her about the planet when they were interrupted by a hail from the Bridge. Commander Chakotay had contacted the Darursai and they wanted to send over a delegation to help.

The Doctor was a bit flustered by this news, unsure if bringing on board a couple of aliens from the planet where the anomaly came from was such a good idea. But they agreed to transport into the quarantine forcefield in the transporter room and wait for the Doctor’s approval to proceed to Sick Bay.

“Looks like you will be able to meet some of the Darursai yourself, after all.” Kathryn told Seven as the Doctor transported himself back to the transporter room to receive their guests. 

Seven could not get excited about the prospect, she was not very interested in the Darursai and their culture anymore. But if they could help figure out what the anomaly was than she would welcome them on Voyager with open arms.

After only a few minutes they watched as the Doctor and two Darursai materialized in Sick Bay. The older one immediately approached the Captain.

“Captain Janeway.” He said rather flustered. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience. You have to believe me that we had no idea that anything like this would happen.”

The young woman who had accompanied him moved to the screens with the Doctor, apparently to study the scans of the anomaly. Seven stayed still as Kathryn assured the man that they knew it was all just a strange stroke of fate. 

Kathryn eagerly moved her attention back to Seven, wanting to introduce her to Uzai, the leader of the Darursai. She had been surprised to see him boarding Voyager in person. Apparently the Darursai took this incident very seriously.

“Uzai, please let me introduce you to my partner. This is Seven.” Kathryn motioned to her girlfriend through the forcefield. “Seven this is Uzai, the Caesar of the Darursai.”

Seven was unsure what to do, diplomacy was not her strong suit. She had stood up as the Darursai were transported in but not knowing anything about their culture, she did not know if she should put out her hand in any form of greeting. So she just clasped her hands together in front of her and tried to give the leader a respectful smile.

“Ah Seven.” Uzai smiled back at her. “The Captain has told me so much about…”

Then his voice trailed off as his eyes landed on her facial implants. Their expression changed from joy to confusion to fear in a heartbeat. Taking a step back from her he looked her up and down, his gaze fixating on the implants that were visible and finally ending at her left hand.

Before Seven could react he stumbled farther away from her, almost tripping over his own feet, shouting. “You are Borg!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> I probably won't be able to post a new chapter every day but I will try to post as often as I can. As you can see the chapters are longer than the first ones in 'Suppressive Fire' so I hope that will compensate a bit. :)


	3. Frozen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who are reading this story.  
> Now without further ado... let's see what happens next.

Seven froze, his tone and his words cut through her like a knife. Before she or anyone else could respond the young Darursai woman jumped over the console she and the Doctor had been studying and placed herself between her Caesar and Seven.

On instinct Seven moved her hands up, in a gesture of surrender but the woman locked eyes on Seven’s enhanced Borg hand and struck out her foot. Hitting Seven square in the face.

The force of the kick blew Seven back against the wall of Sick Bay. A ringing filled her ears before she even landed on the floor. Quickly sitting up she tried to clear her vision which had turned blurry. She stopped moving as she felt a hand close around her neck and pull her up. Before she knew it she was pinned to the wall while the hand closed in tighter, blocking the flow of blood to her head.

“No!” Kathryn’s mind was struggling to keep up with what was happening. The word Borg was still ringing in her ears when Uzai’s protector had moved on Seven. 

Forgetting about the forcefield Kathryn had run forward to get between her girlfriend and the angry Darursai. As Kathryn slammed into the field she was disoriented for a moment but then she watched in horror as Seven was hit and crashed to the ground.

As if she was punched herself she felt her chest constrict with pain and fear. “Seven!”

She put both her hands on the forcefield but of course it was not backing down. Barely registering the protests made by her crewmembers, she instead focused on Uzai as his companion closed her hand around Seven’s neck.

“Please stop!” Kathryn yelled at him. “You don’t understand!” 

Seven felt her nose started to bleed but more importantly she could not get her eyes to clear. Her ears started to pick up the commotion in the room as the shouts of her crewmembers and especially Kathryn’s cut through the buzzing in her head.

She reached up her hand and grasped the wrist of her attacker, to wrench away the hand that was constricting her breathing but then stopped at the sight of the Borg metal against the Darursai’s dark skin…

Trying to focus on the eyes of the woman holding her she dropped her hand and went limp. Leaning back into the wall, she decided not to fight back.

“Please Uzai, listen to me!” Kathryn tried to get him to focus on her instead of on the two women against the wall.

Tom and the Doctor had moved towards Seven after the initial shock of the attack but as she dropped her own hand in surrender they froze. Unsure what to do next, they let the Captain talk.

“Seven was Borg.” Kathryn pushed on even though the Darursai’s leader still refused to look at her. “But she has not been part of the Collective for many years. She is one of us now.”

“How could you not tell me this?” Uzai hissed at her, finally turning his attention to the Captain as he deemed the situation secure. “How could you not tell me you have taken a Borg drone on board?”

“Neither of us discussed the Borg!” Kathryn countered. “We did not even know you knew about the Collective. Please Uzai, call her off.”

He looked back at his companion who kept her eyes trained on the woman in her grip and he made no move to stop her.

Seven could feel the lack of oxygen started to affect her head. The ringing in her ears became louder as she tried very hard to focus on Kathryn’s voice.

“We know about the Borg.” Uzai’s voice had taken on a dark and threatening tone, dripping with disgust. “We have been at war with the Collective for centuries! They have taken hundreds of our people! Killing their spirits, making them into the disgusting half lives of their Drone army. How could you let one live with you?”

“Believe me, we are very aware of the Borg’s destructive power! We know what they do.” Kathryn pleaded with him. “Please let me explain but call of your protector first. Surely you must see that Seven poses no threat to you.” 

Kathryn was panicking now, how long could Seven keep this up and why had she not fought back? She could have broken the arm holding her against the wall without blinking an eye. Kathryn was all for maintaining diplomacy but there were limits. Hurting Seven was her limit.

The young woman looked back at her leader, confusion in her eyes at the lack of resistance in her opponent. They locked eyes for a moment and then he gave her a small nod. Immediately she released her hold on Seven’s neck.

Seven fell to her knees and made no move to stand up. Gasping for air she felt the blood flow to her head being restored. The ringing in her ears faded away but her vision was still blurry. Sitting back on the floor she just closed her eyes and waited to see what would happen next. 

The Doctor started to move towards her, worried about her reactions but was stopped with one look of the Darursai woman who was still standing between them and Seven. So he looked back at the Captain, waiting for her to diffuse the situation further.

Kathryn took a deep breath as Seven was released but watching her collapse on the ground made it very hard to stay behind the forcefield. Unfortunately, she had no choice. 

Seeing the Doctor look at her expectantly she knew she had to calm everyone down as the Captain before she could worry about her girlfriend.

“Uzai, we have had our own dealings with the Borg and each one was as terrible as you describe.” Kathryn started. “The Borg have reached the Alpha Quadrant and have assimilated many of our own people as well. Seven… she and her parents were some of the first humans assimilated by the Borg. She was only a small child at the time.”

Uzai’s eyes were trained on her and Kathryn could see the turmoil of emotions in them, she had to keep talking.

“When we encountered the Borg in the Delta Quadrant… we found Seven.” Kathryn continued, quickly deciding to keep her alliance with the Collective against Species 8472 out of the story. “We freed her from the Collective and she has been regaining her humanity with us ever since. She is no longer a Borg Drone, she is victim of the Borg and a human like me.”

Uzai’s looked unsure, he kept looking back from the Captain to Seven who had remained on the ground throughout Kathryn’s speech.

“I can see her implants. She does not look entirely human to me.” Uzai countered but doubt was creeping in his voice.

Seven once again felt his words slice right through her, echoes of her own doubts and fears. She could feel every outline of her implants start to itch. 

She had calmed down slightly, knowing that the woman was not going to attack her again without an order from her leader but then a new fear had sunken in. What if the Darursai would not help Kathryn and the rest of the away team because of her? Because of her implants? 

“Not all of her implants could be removed.” The Doctor quickly jumped into the conversation. “The ones that remain are vital for her survival. Because she was assimilated at such a young age… I can’t remove them all.”

Uzai seemed to contemplate this for a few moments while still staring at Seven, then he turned back to the Captain and she almost took a step back at the anguish on his face.

“My youngest son was assimilated…” His voice sounded broken and Kathryn could see the deep pain in his eyes.

She waited a few heartbeats, weighing her next words very carefully. 

“What would you do to have him back?” She asked him in a quiet voice.

He stared at her, perhaps taken aback by the audacity of her question but then his expression hardened. “Anything.” 

The silence that followed was deafening. Kathryn thought she had said everything that needed to be said, now they could only wait to see what Uzai would do next.

The Caesar moved away from the forcefields and walked towards Seven. His companion shot him a confused look but when he raised his hand at her she quickly lowered her guard and moved aside. 

Seven’s instincts told her to get up, to defend herself this time but she stayed down. Opening her eyes she saw the blurry image of the Darursai leader getting closer and then he knelt in front of her. His eyes drifting across her face, straying up towards the arch of her ocular implant.

“I am sorry about your son.” Seven finally spoke as she found the silence and his gaze unbearable. “Please know that everything the Captain has told you is true. I have no intention of harming you or your people."

He still said nothing but focused his piercing gaze on her eyes now. As if he was searching for something.

"Please don’t let my presence on Voyager keep you from helping the away team.” Seven continued.

His curious look changed to one of amazement. “I should be the one apologizing to you, Seven. I am sorry I judged you so harshly.”

He reached out his hand and she gingerly took it with her human hand. Pulling her up, he steadied her with his hands on her shoulders before releasing her. 

Then he knelt back down and touched her feet. The young woman next to them gasped and made a move as if to stop him.

“Please accept my humble apology for my ignorance.” Uzai asked Seven while looking down at her feet.

Seven felt the heat rise up in her cheeks and was unsure of what to do. She tried to look at the others but could not make out their faces. “O- of course…” She stumbled.

Uzai rose with a smile on his face and then turned to his stunned companion. “Melai?”

The young woman stiffened but then followed his example and knelt to touch Seven’s feet. “Please accept my humble apology for… attacking you.” 

She quickly stood up before Seven could respond but she did look at her as if waiting for a reply.

“I understand why you attacked me.” Seven answered her. “You thought I was Borg… and you were protecting your leader.”

Melai nodded at her, seemingly satisfied with her answer and then looked back at Uzai, waiting for orders. However, the Caesar seemed unsure of what to do next himself as he looked around at the frozen Starfleet personnel surrounding them.

Kathryn had looked at the apology rituals with immense relief. However, when Seven told Melai that she understood why she was attacked, Kathryn bristled. _She_ would not forgive that attack so easily. 

She wanted to go over there so much, to make sure that Seven was alright and to wipe the blood from her face. She had to grasp her hands together tightly to release some of the frustration. But then she realized everyone was once again looking at her, to decide what was next.

“Um…” She hated sounding unsure in front of her crew and especially their guests but it was hard to figure out how they were going to move on from all of this. “Doctor?”

“Yes Captain.” Thankfully the Doctor quickly recovered himself. “Melai… if you could look at the scans again?”

As the young Darursai moved back to the screens, the Doctor gave Lieutenant Paris a quick nod to accompany her while he finally moved in to check on Seven. 

Kathryn felt extremely useless, locked behind the forcefield as she watched the Doctor use an osteogenic stimulator on Seven’s face. Apparently her nose had been broken. 

She started pacing a bit behind the forcefield and shared a few concerned looks with the rest of her away team who were all still standing at the edge of their own forcefields, as helpless as she was. 

Seven felt the bones in her nose start to heal as the Doctor told her that the fracture was not too severe. When he took out his tricorder to scan her head for further injury she braced herself as she could see the familiar look of exasperation appear on his face.

“Your nanoprobes look rather tired, Seven.” The Doctor told her in a quiet voice. “They are not helping out as efficiently as they should. When is the last time you regenerated?” 

“It… has been a while.” Seven answered him vaguely. “Doctor, something is wrong with my vision.”

He moved his scanners to her eyes. “Your ocular implant is misaligned. Must have been the impact of that rather impressive kick you received.” He said in a sharp voice. “I will get the right instrument to pull it back, just stay still.”

As he walked away Seven noticed that Uzai was still standing close by. He had watched the whole interaction closely and was looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

“I can leave.” She told him as his gaze made it difficult for her to stand still. “My presence must be troubling for you.”

“O please, don’t leave. I was just thinking…” Uzai told her, taking a few deep breaths he continued in a gentle tone. “If my son is still alive and if he is ever freed from the Borg… I hope he will be treated better than we have treated you so far. I hope he will find a crew like Voyager’s.”

Seven was surprised at this reaction but was spared the need to reply when the Doctor returned. As he began his work on her ocular implant, she could hear Uzai walking away towards Kathryn.

Kathryn had heard what Uzai had told Seven and she was deeply moved by the sentiment behind it. In only a few minutes the Darursai Caesar had turned his attitude towards Seven completely around, showing them the wisdom of his people.

“Captain Janeway, I am really sorry about all of this.” He told her. “First you get stuck in quarantine after your visit to our homeworld and then we attack a member of your crew. Your partner no less!”

“It’s alright Uzai.” Kathryn said, reminding herself she still needed to be polite to these people. “Seven will be fine. She still has some amazing healing abilities and she had to overcome many obstacles in the past years. It has made her quite strong.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Uzai said looking back at Seven and the Doctor. “I can now see the woman you described back on Revaik.” 

Before Kathryn could respond and explain to him why she had not told him about Seven’s past before, Melai appeared at his side with Tom Paris at her heels.

“I am sorry to interrupt Caesar, Captain.” She started out respectfully. “But I recognize the organism from Voyager’s scans. It seems impossible but… there is no doubt in my mind… It is the Blight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think!  
> This was the longest chapter I have every written so again any feedback is much appreciated.


	4. Mist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming back to read another chapter.
> 
> The Blight will be explained in this chapter and I want to point out that there have been many illnesses with the same name in TV history, even in the Star Trek series, but that this particular disease has no connection to any of them. It is just a name that stuck in my head and the disease, its pathogen and its symptoms are my own creation with of course some inspiration taken from history and science.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and leave a comment if you have time!

“That _is_ impossible.” Uzai replied after a short stunned silence. 

“That was my first thought too Caesar, but the scans are very clear.” Melai said with an uncomfortable look on her face.

“I’m sorry but could you explain to us what the Blight is?” Kathryn asked them while the others, including Seven and the Doctor, listened in on their conversation.

After a look from Uzai, Melai started to explain. “The Blight is an illness that troubled our empire many centuries ago. It wiped out about a third of our population and caused our civilization to be thrown into chaos. There are a lot of myths and legends about the illness and much about it is still unclear… For instance, we do not know how and why it suddenly disappeared. Our science was not as evolved at that time.” 

Kathryn’s mind immediately went through similar illnesses from Earth’s history, the Black Death, the Spanish flu… This experience of the Darursai with the Blight sounded very much the same.

She looked at the others around her and could see that they were troubled as well. When her eyes reached Seven, their eyes locked and Kathryn could read the fear in their blue depths. 

“I only recognized it because a few decades ago an organism just like the one on your scans was linked to the Blight after archeologists found fossilized traces of it in victims that had been mummified in one of our deserts.” Melai continued. “This finally proved our theory that it was that particular organism which caused the disease… However, I can’t be sure whether it is the same until I review this data on Revaik. The Blight has not been seen for centuries… I don’t understand how it can be back and why it is only found in your bloodstreams and not ours.”

“We have to get back to Revaik and get all the specialists together.” Uzai said as he started to pace. “Historians, archeologists, healers… If what you are saying is true, and this is the Blight… we have to find out everything we can about it as quickly as possible.”

“I would like to come with you.” The Doctor spoke up. “I can help in the research and I can share information about the physiology of our crew with your scientists.”

“You are more than welcome to come.” Uzai answered him. “As a hologram you would be the obvious choice but I will leave that decision to you and your Captain.”

“The Doctor is right, he should go.” Kathryn quickly agreed before anyone could start a lengthy discussion. Turning to the Doctor she continued. “Inform Commander Chakotay about what we just learned and tell him you will go to Revaik. I’m afraid we can’t send anyone else with you.”

“I should go with the Doctor” Seven suddenly said.

Kathryn’s head whipped around to look at her girlfriend in surprise. The front of her biosuit was still stained with blood but other than that she looked back to normal and there was a very stubborn expression on her face.

“My immune system is stronger than yours.” Seven continued when no one responded. “I have been able to withstand many illnesses and forms of radiation that endangered the rest of the crew. I want to go and help the Doctor.”

“Absolutely not.” Kathryn said without thinking and immediately regretted her tone. She had not meant to be so harsh but she could not possibly imagine sending Seven down to Revaik while they didn’t know all the details about this illness yet. Borg enhanced immune system or not.

“I think the Captain is right, Seven.” The Doctor quickly intervened as he saw the look of hurt on Seven’s face. “We don’t know anything about this illness or about the organism that we encountered. We don’t know how your nanoprobes would respond to it. Your immune system _is_ stronger but not infallible.”

Seven did not respond nor did she look back at Kathryn. She desperately wanted to help. Especially now she knew that she would have known about the Darursai, and quite possibly about the Blight, if she still had the memory of the Collective. 

Feeling useless and sensing a massive headache building up, she took a step back and let the conversation continue. 

“We will remain in constant communication with Voyager.” Uzai assured the Captain. “And we will do everything we can to make the Doctor as comfortable as possible.”

“Don’t worry about my comfort, Caesar.” The Doctor told him. “As a hologram I don’t need much.”

The Doctor then hailed the Bridge to inform Commander Chakotay about their plan and to give him a short rundown of the information that had been shared. 

Meanwhile Lieutenant Paris started packing all the medical equipment the Doctor might need on Revaik to collect as much information about the Blight as possible. Melai assisted him by asking questions about what kind of scans their instruments were able to perform and by telling him what information the Darursai scientists would most likely need.

Uzai started saying his goodbyes to the away team who were still trapped behind their forcefields. Because he started with B’Elanna, he gave Kathryn some time to try and make eye contact with Seven.

However, Seven had completely withdrawn within herself. Kathryn felt bad for being so direct with her but the thought of sending Seven to the surface of Revaik had scared her. Looking at her girlfriend she felt her worry multiply. Seven’s shoulders were hunched forward and her eyes were staring unfocussed at the floor. What was she thinking about? 

“Captain, we will keep you informed about anything we find.” Uzai’s voice woke Kathryn from her own thoughts.

Kathryn simply nodded at him, a little distracted. He turned to say goodbye to Seven but then stopped as he saw her closed-off posture. Looking back at the Captain he gave her one more nod and then walked away towards Melai. 

“I will leave these patients in your capable hands, Lieutenant Paris.” The Doctor told his nurse after giving him some instructions in private. “If they display any symptoms, anything at all, contact me immediately. Run scans on a regular basis and keep your eyes on their vitals.”

“Understood Doctor.” Tom replied, feeling the responsibility for the away team settle on his shoulders.

Then the Doctor and the two Darursai left and an uncomfortable silence settled on Sick Bay.

“Well…” B’Elanna was the first to speak. “That was an interesting hour. You alright Seven?”

Seven looked up, a dazed expression in her eyes as she tried to focus on B’Elanna’s face. Her vision had been repaired by the Doctor but a strange mist had been drawn over her eyes when she realized she could not help Kathryn. “I’m fine.”

Kathryn flinched at the short reply and wished Seven would look at her… but after answering B’Elanna’s question she returned her gaze to the floor.

Tom started to ask B’Elanna, Neelix and Tuvok questions about their time with the Darursai and the conversation quickly turned to a discussion of the Blight and how they might have contracted the organism. Kathryn did not join in and instead moved to the far corner of her quarantine space. “Seven?”

Seven closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, she could never ignore the pleading in Kathryn’s voice. When she reached the forcefield she raised her eyes and as she saw the concern in Kathryn’s gray ones she immediately felt guilty for worrying her even more. Reaching out she placed her hand on the forcefield. 

Relieved Kathryn copied Seven’s movement and placed her hand on the same place, almost touching but not quite. “Are you really alright?”

Seven looked up from their hands and studied Kathryn’s face for a moment. “I am not the one infected with a disease that is centuries old, Kathryn.”

“I know.” Kathryn replied, examining the stubborn and concerned look on her girlfriend’s face. “But I am not the one who was just attacked.”

Seven frowned and did not answer.

“You understand why I could not let you go to Revaik, right?” Kathryn said, feeling the need to explain because she was worried Seven was angry with her. “I’m sorry, I should not have snapped at you like that but this illness could affect you just as much as us.”

“I understand.” Seven answered, softening her expression. “It was foolish of me to even suggest it. I just felt so useless. If I still had the memory of the Collective I might have known about the disease, I might have been able to help you. At least I would have known about the Darursai.”

“Yes, you would have.” Kathryn’s eyes landed on the bloodstains on Seven’s biosuit. “But I wonder if our mission would have gone the same way then. Maybe we wouldn’t have stopped here at all.”

“Maybe.” Seven could see how Kathryn’s mind started to go through all the various different outcomes. “But at least I guess we should be happy that you did not assign me to the away team after all.”

Kathryn looked back up at Seven’s eyes with surprise and smiled as she saw an amused glint in them. “Yes, I guess that was the right decision.” 

Seven paused as she looked at Kathryn’s smile, almost forgetting everything around them and the Blight.

“So if you did not tell them about my history with the Borg… what did you tell them about me?” She asked curious. 

Kathryn blushed and moved her fingers over the forcefield, making it light up in sparks. “I just told them that I found a home in this quadrant. That I found a woman who was everything I needed and more.”

Seven felt her heart stutter for a bit and had to fight the urge to break through the forcefield more than ever. She wanted to hold Kathryn close… kiss her… make her see how much she needed her too.

Before she could find her voice again, they were interrupted by a very uncomfortable Lieutenant Paris.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He said to them. “But the Doctor wanted me to check your nose and your ocular implant, Seven.”

Seven gave him a intimidating look but surrendered after a few seconds as she knew he would follow through on his orders anyway. With a sigh she pulled back from the forcefield to give him some room. 

Kathryn lowered her hand and watched as Tom scanned Seven’s face. Their eyes kept meeting whenever Tom wasn’t in the way and Kathryn smiled at the annoyed look on Seven’s face. When she rolled her eyes at the medical scanner, Kathryn laughed out loud. 

Tom looked a bit peeved at that and quickly declared Seven’s nose healed. As he put down the scanners he braced his shoulders because he wasn’t finished yet.

“The Doctor also ordered me to make sure that you were going to regenerate.” He said.

“Did he give you any advice on how you were going to accomplish that task?” Seven asked him sarcastically. 

Kathryn laughed again but then, after looking Seven up and down, turned serious. “He is right, Seven. You should go and regenerate. You look like you can use some rest.”

Seven looked at her in surprise and with a hint of betrayal in her eyes. “You want me to leave?”

Tom took that as his cue to sidle back out and return to his wife. Kathryn appreciated him giving them back their space but realized that the task to get Seven to regenerate was passed onto her now.

“Of course I don’t want you to leave.” Kathryn quickly said. “But when was the last time you completed a cycle? Did you even get any sleep while I was gone?”

Seven’s silence was all the answer she needed. Placing her hand back on their spot on the forcefield she waited for Seven to do the same.

“I understand you want to stay.” Kathryn continued looking at the light that sparked around their hands. “But there is really nothing for us to do now but wait. It will take some time for the Darursai to get the information together and even if this organism will cause symptoms… it will probably be days before they begin to manifest.”

Looking up she saw Seven biting her lower lip. At least she was considering her words which was an encouraging sign.

“I will try.” Seven said. She knew they were right, her whole body ached with fatigue and her headache was getting worse. She needed rest but she was unsure if she would find any. “There is nothing I can do here now… and I should probably change my biosuit anyway.”

Kathryn nodded at her, still a little concerned at the defeated tone in Seven’s voice.

“It’s going to be alright.” She told her, trying to reassure them both at the same time. “Besides this is probably the best time to get some rest. I will need you more when we have been stuck here for a while. We’ll get bored and tensions might rise.”

They looked around and could already see a frown of irritation forming on Tuvok’s brow as Neelix kept badgering him about the Darursai’s cuisine. B’Elanna and Tom were lost in their own little world which both women knew could turn from loving to explosive in minutes.

“I will be back as quickly as I can.” Seven assured her girlfriend. 

“Don’t rush too much. I will be fine.” Kathryn told her. “Really try to complete a cycle.”

Seven grimaced, already knowing how difficult that was going to be but then nodded and moved away to talk to Mr. Paris.

“I am going to regenerate.” She told him and he shot the Captain an approving look. “Call me the minute something changes. I don’t care how minor the change might seem, I want to know immediately.”

“I will, Seven.” He said but then he saw her eyes narrow in doubt. “I promise.”

Nodding, satisfied with his answer she quickly wished the rest of the away team good luck with the wait as she moved back to Kathryn.

“Sweet dreams.” Kathryn told her as they just looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say next. 

Seven closed her eyes, sighed and then briskly turned away. Leaving Sick Bay with an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think! Any feedback is welcome.


	5. River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Seven of Nine Day to those of your who, like me, format their dates in dd/mm/yyyy. Why shouldn't we have two Seven of Nine Days in a year? ;)
> 
> Thanks again for coming back for this new chapter. Not too much action this time but we do find out more about what is troubling Seven...

Seven did not pay attention to her surroundings when she walked through the corridors on her way to the Cargo Bay. She felt like she had left her heart and most of her mind back in Sick Bay. Her headache was also getting worse, making it even more difficult to focus. 

At least the Cargo Bay would be quiet and deserted so she picked up her pace to get there faster. Turning a corner to get to the turbolift she ran straight into Commander Chakotay.

“Seven!” He shouted as he steadied them both by grabbing her by the shoulders. Then he saw the blood on her biosuit and the overall state she was in. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Commander.” Seven acknowledged him as she tried to clear her head. “My apologies, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Did you also walk into a wall?” He tried to lighten her tense mood but then turned serious again at her confused expression. “Why is there blood on your suit?”

“O…” Seven looked down at herself and finally understood what he meant. “The Darursai… they are familiar with the Borg.”

It took Chakotay a few moments to get what she was saying. “Did they attack you?”

“Yes.” Seven said. “But Kathryn… I mean the Captain… she calmed them down and explained my situation. It was all just a misunderstanding.”

“I’m sorry, Seven.” Chakotay looked at her with pity in his eyes. “The Doctor did not mention this in his short briefing before he left for Revaik.”

“It is not relevant, it was just a mistake.” Seven assured him.

“Where are you going?” He asked her. “I was just on my way to Sick Bay to talk to the Captain.”

“I am going to the Cargo Bay… I need to regenerate.” She said.

Chakotay frowned at the flatness of her voice and wondered what else might have happened in Sick Bay. 

“Are you okay going there by yourself? I could walk with you to make sure no one else walks into you.” He offered with a smile.

“I am quite capable of finding my own way, Commander.” Seven replied. “But thank you and I will be more careful.”

She walked away before he could say anything else, reminding herself to keep an eye out for the other crewmembers walking the corridors. For the first time in weeks it was a relief to reach the empty Cargo Bay.

Kathryn felt a bit defeated and it did not have anything to do with being stuck behind the forcefields. She had been in tougher spots than this and it had only been one hour or maybe two. 

However, she couldn’t stop thinking about Seven, even though she tried to participate in the discussion about the Blight the others were having. 

When the Sick Bay doors opened she immediately looked around, expecting Seven to be back, refusing to regenerate. But it was Chakotay.

The others greeted him but when he did not join them in their discussion they assumed he had to talk to the Captain about the ship and let them have a moment alone.

“How are you doing Kathryn?” He asked her, letting her know he was there first and foremost as her friend.

“I’m fine. There is nothing wrong with any of us… yet.” She answered. 

They shared a meaningful look, knowing how this illness could still be brooding in their bloodstreams.

“I just ran into Seven on my way over here.” He told her, changing the topic so they wouldn't have to speculate on any impending doom. 

“Was she still on her way to the Cargo Bay? She is supposed to go there to regenerate.” Kathryn asked him.

“She was…” He hesitated. “She did not seem quite… present. Like she was distracted. She told me the Darursai attacked her. What happened?”

Kathryn sighed and sat down on the biobed. Chakotay took the hint and sat down on the stool Seven had sat on before the Darursai had transported on board. 

The Captain quickly told her First Officer what happened. She tried to make it sound like a report but could not prevent her own emotions on Seven’s attack to filter through.

“I am glad you were able to diffuse the situation.” Chakotay spoke up when she was done. “We need the Darursai’s assistance with this mystery organism.”

“We do.” Kathryn agreed. “I am just worried about what kind of impact their reaction might have on Seven. She seemed so… hurt, even though she tried to hide it. She also said she understood why Melai attacked her. As if she was justifying it.”

“Well…” Chakotay weighed his words carefully. “I guess we can’t totally blame them for reacting strongly to anything Borg.”

“Seven is not Borg.” Kathryn stubbornly rebutted.

“I know that, you know that and our crew knows that.” Chakotay quickly agreed. “But others will not understand so quickly. It took me a long time too, remember? You were the only one who saw what Seven would become, right from the beginning.”

Kathryn nodded and then heaved a big sigh, dropping the topic of the Darursai’s attitude towards Seven. 

“How was she while I was away?” She asked, knowing that it was a bit strange to ask him behind Seven’s back but she needed to know. “She never really answered my questions but I got the impression that she did not sleep nor regenerate during our mission.”

“I can’t tell you if she did or didn’t.” He told her, feeling a bit awkward. “She performed her duties normally, helped out by stowing away the cargo we took on board at the trading station. She spend quite a bit of time with Icheb and Tom but… what she did at night, I couldn’t tell you.”

“No of course not.” Kathryn quickly said. “She just looked so tired.”

“If she hasn’t gotten any rest at all, she must be exhausted.” He agreed. “Also, I think she was quite eager to have you back on Voyager and I guess this is not how she imagined it.”

“Neither did I.” Kathryn smiled at him.

He smiled back at her. “Don’t worry too much about Seven. She will be alright. You should focus on getting through your time here. Leave the ship to me and just try to relax.”

Kathryn gave him a skeptical look but knew she would have to try if she was going to get through being stuck in quarantine.

Seven stood in front of the mirror inside her little bathroom/changing room. It was a small space in the corner of the Cargo Bay. It probably used to be a maintenance closet before she came on board but the crew had made some modification so she would have everything she needed for her human needs.

Staring at the blood on her biosuit, she realized she should move. Get another suit, change and then regenerate. How hard could it be? But she was so tired, her head hurt and everything inside her told her to just go back to Sick Bay.

She should be at Kathryn’s side right now, like Tom was for B’Elanna. If he had been attacked he would not have to change his whole uniform but could just get another jacket. There were plenty of those lying around Voyager. But because of her implants, she had to wear her complicated biosuits. 

If Tom was tired he could just pull up an extra biobed, push it close to the forcefield and sleep almost right next to his wife. But she had to regenerate in the Borg alcoves, far away from Sick Bay and Kathryn.

It was useless to think like this. She knew that. Besides Tom never would have been attacked for his looks… he looked perfectly normal as he did not have any Borg mesh sticking out of his skin.

Feeling her frustration rise she started to pull at her spoiled suit. When the material would not give way as quickly as she wanted it to, she pulled a little too hard and heard it rip. 

Growling she just tore the rest of it off and dumped the shreds in the replicator to be recycled. It had been ruined by her blood anyway.

Picking up a new one she dutifully got dressed again. Feeling the material hug her implants and soothing the skin around them, she could not relish in the comforting feeling. If she had been completely human she would not have skin that needed a biosuit to stay healthy. 

Quickly exiting the little room before she could smash the mirror, she walked towards the alcove platform. The flashing green light struck around the room, making all the crates and supplies look like parts of a Borg cube. 

Fighting down her feelings of fear and revulsion she walked over to the panel in her regular spot and programmed the regeneration cycle. 

Suddenly she could not take the last step backwards to connect her implants to the machine. Waves of desperation and a deep sadness started to crash over her and she felt like she wanted to cry. The logical part of her mind started to shout at her that it was just fatigue and that she had to get over herself but the river of emotions washed over her nonetheless.

Tonight was supposed to have been special. She was going to cook for Kathryn and then they would spend the night together…watching her fall asleep, warm and safe in each other’s arms. Now Kathryn was stuck in Sick Bay as she might have contracted the pathogen of a deadly disease. 

Stumbling to the edge of the platform she quickly sat down as she started to hyperventilate. Fear overshadowed all of her other emotions, the fear of losing Kathryn. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t. Kathryn had to live. 

She wasn’t even ill yet, Seven’s mind reasoned with her. The organism might not inflict the same symptoms on humans as it had on the Darursai. Their physiology was quite different after all. Besides… the Blight had disappeared from Revaik. There had to be a reason for that and the Doctor would find it.

She might not have the memory of the Collective anymore but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still assist him. Taking deep long breaths she tried to focus her mind.

Kathryn was not going to get better by her being self-absorbed and afraid of the Borg inside her. Her girlfriend needed her well-rested and by her side. If not to fight the illness than at least to fight the boredom of quarantine. The only way that was going to happen was if she completed a cycle. 

Standing up she looked up at the green lightning flashing above her head and narrowed her eyes at it in defiance.

Stepping back onto the platform, she braced her shoulders and moved all the way back into her alcove. Closing her eyes, she willed her body to relax, thinking about Kathryn’s eyes, her smile, her voice. Replaying the sound of her laugh in her head, Seven finally let the regeneration start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have the time, let me know what you think. :)


	6. Washing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Star Trek Day!  
> I worked very hard to get a new chapter out today so it might fit into your celebration.  
> Enjoy!

“Regeneration Cycle complete.” The Computer’s voice chimed just as Seven stepped out of her alcove with a jolt.

She felt disoriented for a moment. Not because she did not recognize her surroundings but because she felt… rested. All of her weariness had been washed away. She could feel her body buzzing with energy and her headache was completely gone. 

Also, she hadn’t expected to complete a full cycle. Even though she had succeeded in calming herself down enough to start her regeneration, she still had expected a call from Sick Bay to wake her up, telling her that something was wrong. Or for her own anxieties to prevent her from completing a cycle.

Trying to wake up her mind and shake the surprise she went to check the computer and stopped in shock. Two days! She had regenerated for two full days! 50 hours and 25 minutes to be exact. That was terrible!

“Seven of Nine to Sick Bay.” Her voice shook a little as she called out the message.

“Hello, Seven.” Tom’s voice answered her. “Welcome back to the land of the living!”

“What?” Seven’s confusion rose and her fear started to creep back in.

“I mean… did your regeneration go well? You were out for quite a while.” Tom tried to explain.

“Yes, I realize that.” Seven started to get impatient. “How is.. the Captain? The others?”

“Everything is just like before you left.” He answered her. “Except that Neelix is about to lose his 20th game of Kadis-Kot.”

Seven could hear some grumbling in the background, probably coming from Neelix, and as Tom laughed she impatiently ended the transmission. 

Walking back to her bathroom she hailed Kathryn instead.

“Hello, Seven.” Kathryn answered her and Seven felt immense relief flood through her veins. Not only because of the sound of Kathryn’s voice but also because of the tone. She sounded amused as she must have heard her previous exchange with Mr. Paris. She sounded the same, healthy. 

“Are you alright?” Seven asked her just to be sure.

“I’m fine.” Kathryn replied. “A little bored though. There are just so many games of Kadis-Kot that I can watch. How are you? How was your regeneration?”

“It was… good.” Seven replied as she quickly checked her reflection in the mirror. “I am sorry it took so long though. I should have set an alarm to wake me up or…”

“No, no!” Kathryn interrupted her. “You clearly needed the rest. How is your head and your nose?”

“It’s fine.” Seven answered as she gave her face one last look to be sure before she quickly left the small room. “I am on my way.”

“Okay great. Wait…” Kathryn’s voice hesitated and Seven froze in her tracks. “Could you get me some things from my quarters?”

“Of course.” Seven answered as she started to breath and walk again. “What do you need?”

“Could you get me the book I was reading before I left? Might as well try to finish it while I am stuck here.” Kathryn told her. “And could you get me my pillow? I think I would sleep better with it here and I don’t want to waste replication rations on replicating another one.”

Always so practical, her Captain. Seven smiled as she told Kathryn she would get her things. Feeling good, being well-rested and having something to do that would help her girlfriend, she sped into the corridors to complete her mission.

Kathryn felt relieved having talked to Seven. When her regeneration cycle wouldn’t end she was at first happy that Seven was getting the rest she clearly needed. But then she had started to worry. 

What if something had gone wrong when the Darursai had kicked Seven in the head? What if there was another reason why her cycle went on for so long?

As the hours slowly ticked away, the scenarios in her head became worse and worse. It didn't help that she had almost nothing to distract herself with. 

The four patients and their nurse had talked about the Blight for a while, trying to figure it out as much as possible and speculating on how they might have contracted the micro-organism. Then they told Lieutenant Paris about Revaik and the wonders of the Darursai’s home-planet. 

After they had shared a dinner, Tuvok had been the first to distance himself from the conversation. Following about an hour of meditation he had fallen asleep, giving Kathryn a great opportunity to excuse herself and try to get some sleep too. 

Still, she was awake for a long time after that. When she closed her eyes she kept seeing Seven flung across the room, Seven’s blood covering her biosuit, Seven looking defeated after she was told she could not go to Revaik to help the Doctor. 

After hours of tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable on the biobed, she had finally fallen into a very restless sleep. 

The next morning they had breakfast together while Neelix complained about the food not being prepared properly by the crew members who had taken over the Mess Hall. The rest of the morning was spent in silence as Kathryn read the lists of supplies that Voyager had taken on board.

Chakotay stopped by during his lunch break, bringing food and some much needed energy and distraction. Kathryn talked to him for a while about everything else that was going on on board but then he left for the Bridge again. 

In the afternoon they heard from the Doctor for the first time. He mainly called to check in on how they were doing as he did not have much news to share himself. 

The Darursai had gathered everyone who could have knowledge about the Blight and were trying to figure out how the crew from Voyager had contracted the pathogen while the Darursai themselves showed no sign of it. Starting up this investigation had taken some time and there were no definite results yet. 

Other crew members stopped by like Harry Kim and Naomi Wildman. Both brought some things to entertain them with like the Kadis-Kot board and some more padds. 

Harry spend some time talking and joking with Tom while B’Elanna watched them in amusement. 

Naomi spend most of her time with Neelix, who needed the distraction the most as his claustrophobia acted up from time to time. 

Tuvok seemed perfectly happy to spend his time in quarantine by himself and that meant Kathryn was left alone with her thoughts more often than she liked. 

Her thoughts strayed to Seven in the Cargo Bay, worrying about her. To distract herself she started to imagine what the two of them would do when the quarantine was over. How she would hold Seven in her arms again and how they would retreat back to her quarters to be alone…

Of course these thoughts were not exactly prudent to have for a Captain stuck in Sick Bay with members of her crew so she tried to give the impression that she was very interested in the reports of the last few days. 

The day had dragged on and the following night was not much better. When there was still no sign of Seven in the morning, Kathryn had felt a panic start in the back of her mind, growing stronger each hour. She did not try to involve herself in the Kadis-Kot tournament Tom and Neelix were having and went back to her padds, pretending to read.

The sound of Seven’s voice ringing through Sick Bay, even though it sounded agitated, had been such a relief that Kathryn had jumped up from her biobed immediately. 

Now her heart was beating fast as she knew Seven was on her way. Her situation had not changed, she was still stuck behind the forcefields… but at least Seven would be here soon. 

It took her longer than expected to make her way to Sick Bay and for a moment Kathryn’s worries came back. As she started pacing the small space around her bed she wondered if her description of the book she wanted was clear enough so Seven could find it. But when the Sick Bay doors opened she froze and her jaw dropped. 

Seven walked in slowly, trying to balance all the things in her arms without walking into any equipment or Tom. Her arms cradled Kathryn’s pillow, a huge pile of books (the real paper ones Kathryn liked to read), two huge flasks of black coffee with cups, some comfortable clothes that might feel better than the uniform her Captain was still wearing, some things from her bathroom and finally the plant from her living room. 

Carefully Seven dropped all these things on a table close to Kathryn’s cubicle of forcefields and then looked up to find everyone staring at her. She turned to Kathryn, unsure what to do next.

“I got you some extra things so you would be more comfortable.” She explained quickly, blushing under the stares of the others.

Kathryn’s heart felt like it was going to burst. The gesture was so sweet, so endearing and so Seven, that she felt tears of happiness fill her eyes, washing away the tension of the last few days.

The awkward silence in the room was broken by B’Elanna’s voice as she turned to her husband. “Why didn’t _you_ get me some things from _our_ quarters?”

The attention of Tuvok and Neelix was diverted to the argument that broke out between Mr. and Mrs. Paris, so Seven quickly moved to order the things on the table. She put the pillow, along with the first flask of coffee and the book Kathryn had requested on the space in front of the forcefield and quickly altered it so that the items were now on Kathryn’s side.

Moving slowly, Kathryn picked it all up. Her pillow felt soft in her hands and smelled like her bed. The bed she and Seven had shared these past months. The book she placed on the bedside table and the heat from the flask of coffee felt very comforting in her hands. All these things put together was the closest thing to a hug she would be able to get in her current situation. 

“Thank you.” She told Seven in a small voice, smiling at her trying to convey how much she appreciated everything.

“You’re welcome.” Seven put her hand back on their spot on the forcefield and stared into Kathryn’s eyes when she did the same. 

Lost in their little world for a moment they did not notice the storm of Klingon and human words that were still being thrown across the room.

Eventually everything calmed down again. Seven and Kathryn finally broke apart and Tom and B’Elanna quietened down. Seven felt bad for prompting their fight and quickly offered to bring some things for the others as well. 

After one look at his still angry wife, Tom asked her to instead stay in Sick Bay to watch over his patients while he would go to their quarters to get her things. When he had marched out of Sick Bay with a huff, Seven spend some time talking to the others, not wanting them to feel neglected. 

Kathryn watched all of this with amusement and pride. She was proud of Seven, how she handled the whole situation and how well she could read the emotions in the room. Thinking back on her early days on Voyager, their first encounters... Kathryn could not believe how much Seven had grown. 

Seven kept glancing back at her Captain while she talked to the others and blushed as she found Kathryn staring at her with a soft smile on her face. If only those forcefields weren’t there…

Before Tom could come back they received a hail from the Doctor from Revaik. As the hail was directed at Lieutenant Paris, Seven was at first unsure of what to do. Looking back at Kathryn for a moment, who only shrugged her shoulders, she decided to answer the Doctor as she was curious to hear about his progress.

“Seven?” The Doctor sounded surprised. “Where is Lieutenant Paris?”

“He is getting some things for Lieutenant Torres from their quarters.” Seven answered him while looking at B’Elanna’s triumphant face. 

“Ah I see.” The Doctor replied. “I guess the quarantine is starting to get uncomfortable.”

“Do you have any news Doctor?” Kathryn intervened, eager to get the chit chat out of the way. 

“I do! I am sorry Captain, I will tell you right now.” The Doctor replied while everyone else perked up at hearing this. “The Darursai have found the source of the contamination. Apparently you visited a botanical garden on your second day on Revaik.”

“We did.” Kathryn said. The garden had been beautiful, filled with a wide variety of flowers in colors she had not even imagined before.

“One of the plants, evidently a very ancient type that had just been reclaimed by the botanists, contained the pathogen in it’s pollen.” The Doctor continued his explanation. “You must have gotten infected while you visited the garden.”

“Then why weren’t our guides or any of the other Darursai infected?” Kathryn asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

“That is the great mystery, of course.” The Doctor said. Kathryn and Seven exchanged a look. They loved the Doctor but sometimes he could be a bit overly dramatic and they just wanted him to get to the point. 

“The Darursai believe that they contain a defense mechanism in their blood, passed on through the generations ever since the Blight died out during their Dark Ages.” The Doctor continued. “The micro-organism can enter their bloodstreams but is immediately attacked by their immune system, apparently making it also impossible for one Darursai to pass it on to another.”

Kathryn liked the sound of that as she smiled hopeful at Seven.

“All of this is quite groundbreaking as the Darursai never realized they possessed this defense. It is answering a lot of questions about why the Blight disappeared in the first place.” The Doctor’s voice echoed on. “Now they are trying to study the effect more closely. They have brought in people from the countryside, those who have never been in touch with the plant and their scientists are studying the effect of the pathogen on their immune systems. Once we understand the process… we hope that maybe we can replicate the effect in you but we need more time to do so.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Kathryn told him. “This is some good news at least.”

Seven agreed. At least now the micro-organism wasn’t a complete mystery anymore. If all she had heard about the Darursai was true, their advanced science would find a way to replicate the defensive effect.

“Doctor.” She called out to get his attention. “Could you send some of the data you have gathered to Voyager so we could study it ourselves as well?”

“Of course, Seven. That is a good idea.” The Doctor agreed. “I will do so immediately. Contact us if you have any ideas or breakthroughs.”

Seven smiled, she would be able to help after all. She kept her eyes on Kathryn, hope growing in her heart, as the Doctor asked his patients more questions about any symptoms they might have without them noticing it.

Just when the Doctor finished his transmission, the Sick Bay Doors opened and Tom Paris walked back in. Hearing the last words of the Doctor he stopped in his tracks. “What did I miss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think!
> 
> Because the word blight is usually used for a disease among plants I wanted a plant to play an important part in the story of the illness.


	7. Trickle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming back and for your patience. This chapter was a struggle to write somehow and I had to rewrite it a couple of times. I hope you will enjoy it all the same!

While the others told Tom what the Doctor had revealed to them, Seven left Sick Bay again. This time to get some things for Neelix as she did not want him to feel neglected. Tuvok had told her that even though he appreciated the offer, he did not need anything from his quarters to get him through his time in quarantine. 

Seven came back in record speed as she had only picked up the items on Neelix’s list which had been quite long in itself without adding things of her own. After she made sure Neelix had everything he needed she made her way back to the corner beside Kathryn’s forcefield. Settling in on the stool which was still there, she was determined not to leave that corner again until the time that Kathryn could leave Sick Bay with her.

Kathryn was amazed at how different her time in Sick Bay was with Seven around. It was a good thing she hadn’t known how much her girlfriend’s mere presence cheered her up or she might never have let her go to the Cargo Bay to regenerate.

At first Kathryn joined the others in their discussion about the news from Revaik. Seven just listened as she rearranged the things she had brought from the Captain’s quarters. The bathroom stuff and clothes she passed to Kathryn’s side of the forcefield to keep in the bedside table. But the books she ordered on the table on her own side, taking great care to put them in the exact same order as she had found them on the Captain’s bookshelf.

Kathryn got very distracted from watching Seven’s movements and chuckled when she saw Seven put down the plant from her living room in the corner next to her forcefield. She kept taking a few steps back and then turn the plant a few inches to the left or the right.

“What do you think?” Seven finally asked her when she was satisfied with the plant’s location. 

“Perfection.” Kathryn answered her while keeping her eyes on Seven instead of the plant. 

Seven blushed and gave her a shy smile. With all the clothes, books and other things that were now at Kathryn’s disposal, she would be able to stay in Sick Bay for weeks. Of course that was not the plan but having Seven there… it at least seemed doable. 

They spend the rest of the day just talking to each other, only taking breaks to eat their meals with the others. They talked about Revaik in detail as Seven was now very curious about the Darursai and wanted to know everything that happened to Kathryn while she visited their home planet. 

Seven briefly got distracted when they got another message from the Doctor, stating that he had uploaded all the information about the Blight from Revaik in their database. 

“If you want, you can take a look.” Kathryn told Seven. 

“I will look at the data when you are asleep tonight.” Seven answered her. Her need to help did not outweigh her desire to spend time with Kathryn. It did not happen often that she could take up so much of the Captain’s time and she still wanted to make up for the fact that she had regenerated for two whole days. 

When the day ended, Kathryn finally changed out of her uniform and into the pajamas Seven had brought. B’Elanna and Neelix had done the same and even Tuvok had donned the Sick Bay’s pajamas for the night. 

They had refrained from doing so before, not wanting to give the impression that they had accepted this quarantine to last. But now the need for comfort outweighed their pride. 

Kathryn lay down on her side, settling in on the biobed while watching Seven who was still sitting on the stool beside her. She had downloaded the information from Revaik onto padds and was getting ready to spend the night doing some research of her own.

Looking up from her padds and seeing Kathryn’s gray eyes still trained on her in the dimmed light she could not help but give her a smile. “Sweet dreams, Kathryn.”

Kathryn smiled back at her and then felt herself sink into a blissful sleep. 

Waking up, the first thing Kathryn saw was Seven. For a moment she forgot that there was still a forcefield surrounding them and reached out a hand to touch her. When her fingers touched the forcefield she realized with a jolt that she was still in Sick Bay.

Seven noticed the movement from the corner of her eye and immediately put down the padds. “Good morning.” Her eyes shone as she noticed her girlfriend had woken up. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” Kathryn told her as she stretched out her limbs. “Best sleep since I got here.”

She quickly sat up and looked around. Tuvok was already awake and he nodded at her in greeting. Neelix and B’Elanna were still asleep but Tom was already at the consoles, going through some medical data.

“How are we looking, Tom?” Kathryn asked him in a whisper.

“Nothing unusual yet, Captain.” He answered her.

And nothing unusual happened that morning. Seven spend more time on her research while Kathryn read the book she had wanted to finish. They all ate their meals together and sometimes played some Kadis-Kot tournaments but mostly everyone kept to themselves. Kathryn almost felt like she was on shore leave.

Just when they were finishing dinner something unusual happened… Neelix started to sneeze uncontrollably. 

At first he blamed the food that had come to them from the Mess Hall. Complaining that the cooks had probably used too many spices he waved away their concern. But then the sneezing didn’t stop… 

Nurse Paris decided to perform some extra scans but other than the sneezing nothing seemed to be wrong, Neelix’s temperature was within normal parameters and his heartbeat and breathing weren’t alleviated. 

Still the mood in Sick Bay changed drastically as they all feared that somehow this sneezing was a sign that the Blight was taking hold of them. 

Seven could no longer sit still as she watched Tom take care of Neelix, trying out different methods to make the sneezing stop. She went to the screens showing Kathryn’s vitals while she kept her ears pricked to hear any irregularities in her girlfriend’s heartbeat. 

The fear she had experienced in the Cargo Bay had faded away because she was closer to Kathryn. But now it flared up again.

Kathryn could see how agitated Seven was and tried to shoot her some reassuring looks but was herself distracted when Tom contacted the Doctor to ask for his advice. Together they came up with a hypospray that ended the sneezing. Just in time, as Neelix was getting a bit out of breath. However, it resulted in hiccups that were not much better.

The Doctor told Tom to send as much data about the current condition of the four patients to Revaik as possible. Because the Darursai had such a different physiology than the members of the crew of Voyager, there was no telling what symptoms the Blight might cause in them and this sneezing might very well be the first sign.

“If all I get… is some sneezing…. or hiccups… than I will be… quite happy.” Neelix quickly told the rest of them, trying to lighten the mood as the first shock of this sudden turn faded away.

Both Tom and Neelix started to joke about other symptoms that would be acceptable to them and together they brought back some smiles and laughter.

Seven did not join in but instead retreated to her corner again with her padds. Suddenly there was a lot more pressure to contribute to the research as the Blight had become so much more real. 

Kathryn on the other hand was very willing to let Neelix and Tom amuse her for a moment while she kept glancing back at Seven. She understood why Seven was so worried but the Doctor always said that a positive mindset was important in these circumstances.

“Try not to worry too much, Seven.” She finally told her in a soft voice. She knew it was pointless to say but she felt like she needed to say something to try and calm her down.

“I can’t help it, Kathryn.” Seven answered her without looking up, as the fear clouded her mind once again.

“I know darling.” Kathryn gave her a smile. “Why don’t you tell me more about the Blight tomorrow. Especially those things that stand out to you. Perhaps together we can force a breakthrough.”

Kathryn had to stifle a yawn after that. The lazy contentment of the day and the sudden upheaval about Neelix’s symptoms had made her quite tired. She could see Seven’s eyes widen at her yawn.

“I am just tired, Seven.” Kathryn said to her.

“Do you want me to give you some space?” Seven asked her, already moving to stand up.

“No! No, please.” Kathryn quickly assured her as she lay back down on the biobed. “You stay right there.”

“Yes, Captain.” Seven joked but kept her intense gaze on her all the same.

Keeping her own eyes locked on Seven, Kathryn tried to let the sounds of Tom and B’Elanna talking and Neelix’s hiccups fade to the background. Instead she focused on the blue of Seven’s eyes and the soft sounds of her breath, letting them lure her to sleep.

Seven had been happy to hear that Kathryn wanted to discuss the information from the Darursai with her. She had found it hard to focus on it throughout the day. Their methods and ordering of data was quite different than the ones she was used to and she had spent most of the day understanding the logic behind it. Having Kathryn help her out might make it easier.

After Tom had fallen asleep Seven got up from time to time to check on Neelix, who somehow had fallen asleep too, despite his hiccups. All his other vital signs remained normal, so there wasn’t much she could tell from that. What if it really was just a reaction to the food?

When hours had passed she suddenly noticed something was different… For a few moments she could not place the uneasy sensation that took hold of her but then she realized Kathryn’s pulse had gotten faster.

Quickly she looked up to check her girlfriend but couldn’t see anything different about her in the dimmed light. Putting the padds away Seven went to the monitors to check if her ears weren’t deceiving her but there it was… Kathryn’s heartbeat had sped up and… her temperature was rising.

 _No… was Kathryn getting ill? Were these the first signs of the Blight?_ Seven could feel a cold trickle of panic start to creep down her spine and immobilize her, she did not know what to do. 

She wanted to wake up Kathryn to make sure she was okay but at the same time she wanted her to stay asleep to get her rest. She also didn’t want to overreact and cause a panic. 

Looking around, her eyes finally landed on Tom who was still blissfully asleep. After hesitating for a few more minutes she decided to wake him up. Putting her hand on his shoulder she gave him a soft shake but that did not seem to have any effect. 

“Lieutenant Paris.” She called to him in a whisper but he just turned away from her to continue sleeping on his side. 

Getting frustrated she took hold of his shoulder again, this time with her Borg hand. Slowly increasing the pressure as she squeezed, he finally woke up. Giving a small yelp, he abruptly sat up.

“Seven!” He rubbed his shoulder while she looked around to see if any of the patients had woken up from the sound of his voice. They were all still asleep. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked her in a hoarse voice. “Why did you wake me?”

“It’s Kathryn.” She told him, oblivious that she had used the Captain’s first name. “Her heartbeat has sped up and her temperature has risen.”

At this Tom stood up and made his way over to the screens that were monitoring the patients. 

“It doesn’t look that unusual yet…” He yawned. “Perhaps this happens to her more often when she sleeps.”

“I can assure you it doesn’t.” Seven told him in a harsh voice, wanting him to take this seriously.

“What do you want me to do, Seven?” Tom asked her.

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “Should we wake her up?”

“I don’t think that is a good idea. The… symptoms are not that serious yet. Maybe they will be gone in a few hours.” He told her while wishfully looking back at the biobed he had been sleeping on. 

Seven almost regretted waking him up but his indifference did somehow have a calming effect on her. Maybe she _was_ overreacting. 

“I’m sorry…” She told him. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“That’s okay Seven.” He told her, his voice clear now, Glancing back at his wife, he added. “I understand.”

She could see her own fear reflected in his eyes for a moment and nodded at him. While he moved back to his bed she went back to her corner. She did not sit down nor did she pick up her padds again. She remained standing while keeping all of her senses locked on Kathryn.

Kathryn had horrible dreams. When she started to wake up the details slipped away but the overall feelings of stress and fear remained. Feeling like she couldn’t breathe, she started to cough but then couldn’t stop.

Rolling to her side and opening her eyes she immediately noticed Seven, pressed right up against the forcefield and looking like she was about to push her way through it to help her out. Raising her hand to signal to her that she was alright, Kathryn sat up to reach for the glass of water on the bedside table. 

A terrible pain flashed through her head and she almost fell back on her pillow. But needing the water to make her coughing stop she pushed through and after taking a few sips she could at least breathe normally again. 

Looking around she saw that Seven wasn’t the only one looking at her in concern. Tuvok was right on her other side and Tom was standing near the monitors at the end of her quarantine fields.

“I have called for the Doctor to come back, Captain.” He told her, looking flustered. “He can examine you better than I can at the moment.”

Kathryn felt very disoriented, as if she had been asleep for days. Giving Tom a short nod, she looked back at Seven.

“What happened?” She croaked, trying to clear her throat but that only caused more pain to shoot through her head.

“Your temperature and heartbeat started to rise throughout the night.” Seven told her in a very clipped voice, the tone laced with fear. “We decided not to wake you…” She looked back at Mr. Paris at that statement. “But you… got worse.” 

Kathryn stared at the anguish on her girlfriend’s face for a while. Even though she was the one feeling sick, she felt sorry for her because she knew Seven must have gone out of her mind with worry, watching her get worse... 

“How is Neelix?” Kathryn asked to get some of the attention off of her.

Tuvok moved aside to show her that both Neelix and B’Elanna were standing up, looking fine. 

“I am doing alright, Captain.” Neelix told her, even though his voice sounded a bit hoarse as well. “Still some sneezing and hiccups but nothing else.”

Before she could respond the Doctor materialized in Sick Bay and immediately moved to her side.

Kathryn could see the intense look of jealousy on Seven’s face as he just walked right through the forcefields to get to her. He asked her some questions while his hands moved over her forehead and wrist before he took out his tricorder to take some readings with the instrument as well. 

He frowned as the results of the scans came in. Looking up at her he sighed. “I’m sorry, Captain.”

Kathryn did not know what to say and looking back at Seven she slowly sank back onto the bed. She had the Blight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still not completely satisfied with this chapter, so I might change some things in the future, but the story needed to move on.  
> Please let me know what you think! Your feedback is very much appreciated.


	8. Sinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming back for Chapter 8 of this story and a special thank you to those of you who keep leaving comments! Love them. 
> 
> The story continues right where we left off...

“Seven! What are you doing?” Seven’s ears registered Tom’s voice but she did not plan to pay him any attention. Her fingers were already dancing across the controls for the forcefield.

But then he grabbed her arm to stop her. Turning her body around while keeping her right hand on the controls, she used her Borg arm to free herself and push him away. She needed to keep him out of the area surrounding her as she had no intention to bring him along with her into the forcefield.

While keeping him literally at arm’s length she turned back to the forcefield only to find the Doctor’s face next to hers. Working on the controls he was trying to block her from the other side.

“Seven you have to stop this!” He said while he tried to keep up with her adjustments to the field. Having two hands to do so was almost not enough to keep up with her Borg speed. “You can’t come in, Seven. You will get infected.”

“I don’t care.” She told him through her gritted teeth. Her mind was trying to calculate if it would be faster to adjust her cranial implant so she could just walk through the field but she did not have time for that. Besides, she needed both her hands to do that and she could not release her hold on Mr. Paris.

“Seven, please…” Kathryn’s voice was soft… weak. But it still pierced right through her, as if her ears were always attuned to pick up the sound of her voice above all other sounds.

Glancing up from the control panel she looked at Kathryn and saw that she had sat up slightly. She looked sick, hurt, weak. She needed help and Seven was going to get to her side right now. 

“Seven, don’t!” Kathryn’s voice was stronger now and suddenly Seven noticed the stubborn and slightly angry look in her gray eyes. She froze.

Kathryn started to cough again and all of Seven’s instincts told her to keep going, to get inside. But she hesitated at the look on Kathryn’s face.

“Kathryn?” She asked softly.

“Don’t do… it, Seven.” Kathryn looked at her while still struggling to breathe. “Please, don’t get… yourself sick… as well.”

Seven did not move. Keeping her fingers on the controls. She was only a few inputs away from breaking in while keeping her Borg hand on Tom. 

“I don’t _want_ you to get in.” Kathryn’s voice had cleared and she looked like she was using a lot of her strength to get the words out. 

Seven’s arms dropped. Sadness and particularly guilt crashed over her. 

The Doctor quickly adjusted the forcefield to undo her changes to it and then moved back to the Captain’s side. Seven kept looking at her even though she could hear Tom mumbling behind her, complaining about her restraining him. 

“I’m sorry…” Seven whispered but even she did not know if she was talking to Tom, the Doctor or Kathryn. 

Kathryn sank back down on the bed as she saw the change on Seven’s face. Her stubborn fiery look had disappeared and was replaced by the anguished sad expression she had had before the Doctor arrived.

She could not look at Seven anymore so she just stared at the ceiling while the Doctor talked to her about medication that might help with her symptoms.

A large part of her mind was preoccupied with anger at Seven. For causing a scene and restricting Tom but mostly because she was so willing to endanger herself. Kathryn hated anyone who wanted to hurt Seven but it was very hard and confusing if the person who was hurting Seven was Seven herself. 

She understood why Seven wanted to get in, she knew she just wanted to help and Kathryn missed her touch as well. Still that was not enough. The Blight was here and she would do anything she could to keep the pathogen trapped within the quarantine fields without infecting anyone else. Especially her Seven.

Hearing Seven’s whispered apology made her heart hurt but she could not focus on that. The real pain in her chest distracted her as the coughing had wrecked her lungs and ribs. The pain in her head was blinding as well and she just wanted to go back to sleep. 

Thankfully the Doctor gave her a hypospray with drugs that gave her exactly what she needed and she felt herself sink back into the darkness. 

Seven watched as the hypospray was pressed against Kathryn’s neck and then listened as her heartbeat slowed and her girlfriend fell asleep. Out of her reach even more now. 

The Doctor stepped back out of the forcefield and looked at her but she could not face him or any of the others just yet. All she could see was the memory of Kathryn’s angry eyes.

“Seven…” The Doctor’s voice was soft, not as irritated as she had expected. “I know this is very difficult. But you have to understand… we can’t risk you getting sick as well. I know you just want to help but you won’t help the Captain by attracting the pathogen.”

At the repeated use of the word ‘help’, she looked at him and saw pity in his eyes. Feeling like he should scold her she quickly looked away and her eyes landed on Tom Paris who was still rubbing his shoulder where she had restrained him.

“I’m sorry, Tom.” She felt terrible. She had acted like a child and had hurt him in the process. 

“It’s okay, Seven.” He said, much like the Doctor there was more pity than anger in his voice and eyes. “Again… I understand.”

Not wanting to see any more understanding or pity in the eyes of the others, Seven quickly made her way back to the stool in the corner. Feeling absolutely miserable she sank back down on it and returned her gaze to the sleeping form of Kathryn.

There was a frown on her face even though she was sleeping. Her breathing and heartbeat were still a little faster than normal. All signs of the illness or perhaps the agitation that Seven had caused. 

An awkward silence had settled on Sick Bay as she had retreated, only disturbed by Neelix’s hiccups. After a few moments though, the others returned to action. 

The Doctor went to examine Neelix as he hadn’t had a chance to do so before. Tuvok and B’Elanna retreated back on their respective biobeds, looking uneasy but still healthy. Tom, meanwhile, informed the Bridge that the Captain had fallen ill.

The Doctor decided not to return to Revaik as he wanted to take care of his patients. He did maintain close communications with the Darursai on the surface to keep them updated about the symptoms and so he would know the minute they achieved a breakthrough in their research. 

Seven knew she should pay attention to her surroundings. Especially the talks the Doctor had with the Darursai should interest her. But a voice inside her told her to just stay in the corner. There was nothing she could do to help. She had barely understood the information the Darursai had shared with Voyager. All she had done was cause a scene.

So she stayed in her corner and mostly ignored the others. Even when Chakotay came to Sick Bay to see if there was anything they needed or anything he could do to help. After having talked to all the other patients and shooting her a concerned look, he left again. Seven had barely acknowledged him.

The Doctor frequently went back to Kathryn’s side to check on her and every time he passed through the forcefield Seven felt a small sting. After the third time he walked towards her instead of returning to his consoles.

“Seven. I want to be honest with you…” The Doctor started and Seven unconsciously raised her shoulders. This was not how a conversation about good news started. “The Captain’s condition… it worries me. Her fever is only getting worse, despite the medication I have given her and the scans show that there is fluid gathering in her lungs. It seems that our methods aren’t equipped to deal with this illness. The pathogen is countering every one of them.”

“What about the Darursai?” She asked him desperately. “Don’t they have medicine that could help?”

“I’ve asked them and I have reviewed their database but it looks like their medicine is not equipped to treat humans.” The Doctor told her.

Seven couldn’t find anything to say as she felt herself sink deeper and deeper in a pit of depression.

“They are still continuing their research.” The Doctor assured her after seeing the angry, desperate look on her face. “They have split up into two teams now. One is studying the symptoms of both Neelix and the Captain. Trying to find something that will counter them. The other is still working on duplicating the effect of their own immune system. They are running simulations around the clock.”

Seven only nodded at him. She could not be angry at him or at the Darursai. At least they were doing something useful to help. 

The Doctor let her be after that and none of the others tried to involve her in their games or conversations for the rest of the day. 

Neelix’s hiccups were not getting better but he did not seem too troubled by them. He was tired but he said that he had endured worse. 

Tuvok was an oasis of peace and tranquility as always. However, Seven did notice him glancing at the Captain’s sleeping form from time to time. Watching his friend and probably worrying about her almost as much as Seven did.

After dinner, B’Elanna admitted to the Doctor that she had had a headache for a few hours. The Doctor was a bit angry that she had not shared this information before and had only come forward with it because Tom had started to notice his wife sniffling. 

Sick Bay was once again on the alert as it seemed that the Blight had claimed the third member of the away team.

However, the scans and B’Elanna’s answers indicated that she only showed mild symptoms. She had no fever like the Captain nor did she sneeze like Neelix, she only had a nose cold and a headache. 

Seven noticed the relief on Tom’s face. After Kathryn had fallen ill the tension in Sick Bay had risen as the Blight seemed to have an effect on humans after all and B’Elanna was half-human. But it seemed that her Klingon blood was keeping her safe from the worst of it. 

Seven was as pleased about that as the others, of course she did not want anyone else getting as sick as her Kathryn. Plus, seeing the Vulcan and Klingon immune systems fight the pathogen of the Blight almost made her feel like the crew of Voyager was resisting it somehow. Fighting back.

When night came Seven was very happy that the Doctor was back. Not just so he could take care of Kathryn but because she was not as alone as before while the others slept. He did not take any breaks and just kept working on his collaboration with the Darursai. 

When Seven wasn’t keeping her eyes glued to Kathryn’s every move, she found comfort watching him work and listening to the slow breaths of the others. Even Neelix’s hiccups had started to grow on her and instead of feeling annoyed by them, she was happy that he was there with her. 

The paralyzing guilt from this morning had slowly evaporated during the day and now she started to feel restless again. She stood up from her stool and made her way to the Doctor after one last look at Kathryn.

The Doctor glanced up from his work for a moment to look at her. “How are you doing, Seven?”

“I feel so… useless.” She admitted to him. Somehow the dimmed light and quiet made it easier to talk to him. 

“I can understand that.” He nodded. “You want to see what we are working on?”

Seven looked at his screens and saw that he had rearranged the data from the Darursai in a way that made much more sense to her. 

“The Darursai’s methods were a bit strange to me at first." He told her and she felt relieved that the confusion had not just been hers.. "So I have adapted the information to our way of thinking so I can understand it better and who knows… maybe that way, with multiple perspectives, we will get results even faster.” 

Already feeling better she began to read through the work of the second group of Darursai who were working on a way to duplicate the reaction of their immune system. 

It was fascinating to see how they had monitored the effect in Darursai who had never been in contact with the plant before. Apparently they had asked dozens of test subjects to help out to make the results as reliable as possible and Seven felt a surge of gratitude towards these people for helping them even though they had no obligation to do so. 

Before she could fully understand all the work that had been done in the past days, another message came in from Revaik. The Doctor and Seven quickly moved their work to the Doctor’s office so they would be free to talk to the Darursai without waking up any of the others. 

“Doctor, we have run several simulations and we think we have something.” Seven recognized the voice of Melai who was bringing them the news.

Without waiting for a reply from Voyager, she continued. “It is not an answer to the symptoms your people are displaying right now but we do think that we have found a way to stop the pathogen from multiplying. I will send you the schematics right now.”

Seven and the Doctor shared a hopeful look as the information was uploaded to the Computer. A three dimensional model of the pathogen appeared on their screens as Melai talked them through the process. 

“We have distilled the antibodies from our own immune system and have administered them to the pathogen in a closed off environment. As you can see the antibodies break through the pathogen’s exterior and cause the small cups at the end of it’s arms to break off and be dissolved. These cups are used to multiple in the host’s cells so without them the pathogen would become sterile.”

Seven watched in amazement as she could see the smaller antibodies force their way in and attack. 

“Of course this will not destroy the pathogen all together and they will still form a serious threat to the hosts. We are still working on the part that will annihilate them but we can’t yet find a way to make that compatible with your people.” Melai told them in an apologetic voice. “However, if this first step works, your patients will no longer be able to infect any others on board your ship and at least treating them might become easier.”

Seven’s heart was hammering away in her chest. She briefly marveled at the intense power of hope and the physical effects on the human body but then dismissed that thought. She barely heard the Doctor make plans with the Darursai for testing this method as her mind was already racing with possibilities. If this worked… the forcefields would be lowered and she would finally be able to be close to Kathryn again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think.
> 
> For those of you who are medical professionals, I'm sorry if I made any weird mistakes with the symptoms. I do feel like I have some literary freedom though because the pathogen is neither a bacterium or virus but is of alien origin. ;)


	9. Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story and a special thank you to those of you leaving kudos and especially comments.
> 
> Now let's continue the story...

Seven was tapping her foot against the floor to vent some of her frustration. She knew it bothered the Doctor but she couldn’t help it. 

After Melai had told them about their breakthrough and had transported the serum to Voyager, Seven had expected the Doctor to immediately move into action. Instead he had not woken up the patients but had decided to wait for them to wake up naturally and study the new medication first.

“The Darursai have run multiple simulations.” Seven reminded him. “Do you doubt their results?”

“I do not.” He assured her. “But that does not mean that we should just blindly administer it to the away team. Besides, we will have to decide who gets it first.”

“I would say the Captain needs it the most.” Seven said, knowing full well that she also needed the forcefield around _Kathryn’s_ bed to be lifted first. 

“I know, Seven.” He agreed. “But maybe it is safer to test it out on one of the others before giving it to the Captain. Tuvok would be my first choice as he remains unaffected by the pathogen.”

After that the Doctor had fallen silent as he studied the models from Revaik over and over again. Seven tried to do the same but could not keep still so she moved back to the main room of Sick Bay. She started to pace after a while, keeping her eyes on Kathryn as she walked back and forth. Every sigh, every moan or irregularity in her heartbeat registered inside Seven like a blow. 

In the early hours Tuvok woke up, as always the first one to rise, and Seven told him about the news even before the Doctor could exit his office. After the Doctor had told him what he thought of the serum, Tuvok was eager to try it out. 

By that time Tom had woken up and soon B’Elanna and Neelix started to stir. Every time someone woke up, the Doctor told the story all over again. When everyone was finally up to speed, Seven was going out of her mind with impatience. 

Then, to make matters worse, the Doctor decided that everyone should have breakfast before they were going to try out the serum. Seven stopped her pacing and went back to her corner where she was now impatiently tapping her foot. 

While the others ate, the Doctor went inside the forcefields to check on Kathryn. The mere look on his face was enough for Seven to know that her situation had not improved. He gave her some more medication through a hypospray but did not look optimistic that it might help.

Seven had kept an eye on Kathryn’s vitals throughout her pacing. Especially the irregularities in her breathing, the oxygen saturation of her blood and her high temperature caused panic to wreck through Seven’s mind and body.

All she wanted now was for the Doctor to use the serum so that she would at least be able to stand next to Kathryn and touch her again.

When Tom had finally cleared all the breakfast stuff away, the Doctor explained the procedure one more time to Tuvok. While maintaining an open connection to the Darursai on Revaik, the Doctor finally administered the serum into Tuvok’s bloodstream.

Seven moved back to the middle of the room because she wanted to see the results of the scans come in.

At first the scans showed no differences and for a moment her heart sank. But then slowly the pathogen was attacked from the inside out. The grasping cups at the end of their long arms dissolved as they watched.

Tom gave a cheer while the Doctor tried to explain to Tuvok, the others and the Darursai what they were seeing on the screen. Seven could do nothing but smile as she watched the Blight pathogen lose its most important weapon. 

Then the Doctor finally moved at a speed that she could appreciate, even though his steps still seemed to take hours… Administrating the serum to B’Elanna, Neelix and then finally Kathryn… Waiting for the results to come in… Declaring that the results were the same in all four patients… Double checking with the Darursai to confirm that the pathogen was really neutralized... 

“Alright.” The Doctor finally said, looking up at all their eager faces. “I guess that means that we can send people in.”

Seven froze. She already had her hands on the controls of the forcefield and had been waiting for the Doctor to give her the green light to take them down.

“What do you mean?” She asked him impatiently.

“Well just to be safe I think it would be best to send someone in _before_ we take the forcefields down completely. Just to make sure that the danger of infection is really gone and we don't endanger the whole ship at once.” The Doctor explained. 

Seven’s eyes darted to Tom but he already raised his hands in defeat. “It should be you, Seven.”

“I agree.” The Doctor said. “Even if the pathogen is not completely sterilized, your nanoprobes might be able to handle it better than a normal human immune system.”

Seven tried to keep up with his reasoning but could not really hear what he was saying. All she knew was that she now had permission to get into the quarantine field. Moving her fingers over the controls in record speed she quickly aborted her attempt to lower the field and instead altered it so she would be on the other side.

Then finally she was. Taking the last two steps to Kathryn’s side she blindly reached out to her and grasped her hand. Her Borg fingers registered the burning heat of her girlfriend’s skin and the alarms in her head went back to shouting at her that Kathryn was still in danger.

But at least she was there now, at least she could touch her. Maybe Kathryn would notice that she was there.

Softly stroking her fingers across the feverish skin she remembered how she had realized Kathryn was at _her_ side when she was recovering from her surgeries that had altered her cortical node. That glow of Kathryn holding her hand had brought her back from the darkness and maybe she could now do the same. 

Moving her other hand up to gently stroke the damp hair from her Captain’s forehead she did not notice how the others kept talking about the serum. She did not notice the Doctor come in to take scans, not of Kathryn but of herself. 

Some part of her knew that she should care whether or not she was being infected. But she didn’t. Even though the fear for Kathryn’s health was still very much present, a strange peace had come back now that they were finally together again.

Tom was allowed in B’Elanna’s quarantine field not long after that and when neither he nor Seven showed any sign of the pathogen, the forcefields were lowered. 

The mood almost turned celebratory, except that everyone was still very worried about the Captain’s condition. However, lunch was a bit more grand than it had been in the past few days. Both Chakotay and Harry came by with the food to celebrate the lowering of the forcefields. 

Seven noticed them come in and briefly glanced in their direction as they gave her some consoling looks and comforting words. She barely heard them and stayed rooted in her spot, next to the sleeping Captain.

“You should eat something, Seven.” The Doctor told her as he nodded towards the group sharing a meal together.

“I can’t eat right now, Doctor.” Seven answered him. The nauseating knot in her stomach had not disappeared with the forcefields.

“I understand but you will need to eat or sleep soon. Even _you_ can’t keep this up for long.” He told her with a smile as he replaced the stool with a chair which he placed right next to the Captain’s bed.

Seven eyed the chair sarcastically but sat down all the same, if only to make the others feel more at ease.

After lunch the talk of the others quickly turned to further liberation. B’Elanna especially was eager to leave Sick Bay but the Doctor was hesitant. 

He was willing to let Tuvok go, as he had displayed no symptoms, provided that he would come back in for a checkup at least twice a day. After saying goodbye to the others, assuring them that logic dictated that they would be able to leave soon as well, he walked over to Kathryn’s biobed.

Seven looked up into his solemn face, trying to read what he was thinking but fully knowing that that was impossible. Tuvok didn’t say anything as he briefly touched the Captain’s other hand, gave Seven a curt nod and then left Sick Bay.

In the afternoon, Kathryn started to stir and become more restless. The Doctor quickly joined Seven as he kept his tricorder ready even though he already knew that not much had changed.

Seven looked intensely into Kathryn’s face and when her eyes fluttered open she could not help but smile at her. “Kathryn?”

“Seven?” The voice of the Captain had completely transformed. It was weak and hoarse. Just speaking Seven’s name was enough to make her cough again.

Quickly Seven picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and gently moved her left arm around Kathryn’s shoulders to raise her up slightly. Bringing the glass to her lips, she was relieved to see her drink all of it.

“Do you want some more?” She asked her as she looked at the Doctor as if to tell him to get more water. 

“No…” Kathryn whispered back. “My head hurts.”

The Doctor quickly filled up another hypospray with pain medication and administered it while Seven kept cradling the Captain in her arms. She could feel Kathryn’s body begin to relax again as the drugs took effect.

Kathryn’s eyes moved up and through the haze she looked directly into Seven’s eyes. Then her expression changed drastically, fear and panic taking over.

“What are you doing?” She tried to say, starting to push back to sit up on her own.

Seven was completely confused for a moment, wondering why Kathryn was backing away from her but then she realized that the Captain did not know that the pathogen was no longer able to spread.

“No… No Kathryn it’s okay.” She told her girlfriend, trying to stop her from resisting her embrace. “The Darursai had a breakthrough. The pathogen is no longer able to multiply.”

Kathryn looked up at her but there was no sign of comprehension in her eyes so Seven continued. “You can no longer infect me or anyone else. The Doctor even took the forcefields down.”

“It is true, Captain.” He assured her. “We haven’t found a way to completely neutralize the pathogen yet but at least it won’t be able to spread to any other members of the crew. Including Seven.”

Kathryn let out a big sigh which caused her to cough again. After she recovered herself a bit she kept her eyes closed. “Thank God.” She mumbled and then fell back asleep.

Seven stared down at her face for a long time, watching as the frown disappeared and the expression on the feverish face turned almost peaceful. She gently laid her back down on her pillow, pulling back her own arms.

Looking up she saw that the Doctor was still standing on the other side of the bed. “It is good that she drank some water.” He told her but that was the only good news he could give her. 

Seven nodded and sensing the others were quiet and still looking at them, she straightened her back and moved to the replicator to fill up the glass of water and replicate a full pitcher just to have some extra on hand. 

Moving back she checked to see if Kathryn really was asleep again and then sat back down in her chair. Waiting.

During the day B’Elanna’s grumbling got worse. She kept pestering the Doctor with questions, promising him that she would stay in her quarters and come back in for checkups like Tuvok. 

After dinner the Doctor finally broke down. “Fine!” He told her as she was once again right in his face demanding to be released. “Seeing as your symptoms have not gotten any worse… you can go.”

Giving a triumphant cheer and playfully bumping her fist against the Doctor’s shoulder she turned around with a smile. That smile wavered as she saw Seven looking at her.

“I’m sorry, Seven.” She quickly said. 

“Don’t be.” Seven told her. “I’m happy for you that you can leave.”

B’Elanna’s smile returned. They both hated being restrained in Sick Bay and although Seven would miss the comfort of her company, even though they had not talked much, she really was happy that the Lieutenant could leave. That she had not fallen ill like Kathryn.

“I will still come back in for the scans.” B’Elanna told her. “And call me if you or the Captain need anything.”

“Thank you.” Seven answered while B’Elanna’s eyes moved over the Captain’s face. 

“Get well soon, Captain.” She told her after a while and then left with her husband.

"See you tomorrow, Seven." Tom waved at her.

“I have talked to the Doctor and I can leave too.” Neelix said as he shuffled over to them. “My sneezing and hiccups are pretty much under control and I guess I can ride them out in my quarters as well as here. Besides, with all of us gone the Captain might get some more peace and quiet.”

Seven nodded at him and watched as he, like Tuvok, briefly touched the Captain’s hand. For a moment she was struck by the affection the crew had for their Captain. Of course this was not a surprise to her but still, it was quite moving to witness. 

Then Neelix left and the quiet that followed pressed in on Seven from all sides. With the others gone and only the Doctor there with her, she could hear Kathryn’s labored breathing even better. She knew it was getting worse as her enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of the liquid inside Kathryn’s lungs.

Taking Kathryn’s hand in both of her own she looked up at her sleeping feverish face. “You have to keep fighting, Kathryn.” She whispered. “We need you. I need you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think.
> 
> I know there wasn't much interaction between Kathryn and Seven in this chapter but Kathryn is really sick... also I needed to empty out Sick Bay so the next chapters will focus solely on them. ;)
> 
> Before continuing the story I will go back to the previous chapters to reread them and hopefully take out the mistakes I overlooked before. Somehow I hurt my hand though... not sure what happened but it makes the typing a bit more difficult. Still I will try to post a new chapter as soon as I can, really want to show you my plans for what Seven is going to do next. :)


	10. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone leaving kudos and comments. 
> 
> I feel the need to apologize in advance for this chapter... Don't want to spoil anything but please bear with me!
> 
> Also, Icheb makes an appearance! I felt like I owed him that considering his role in Suppressive Fire and the Darursai's attitude towards the Borg...

During the night Seven struggled between her desire to stay as close to Kathryn as possible and to help in the research for a cure. In the end she kept her human hand on Kathryn’s feverish one while her Borg hand scrolled through the information on a padd.

She had accessed the Doctor’s version of the database after getting his permission. It made digesting the information a lot easier for her and she was very impressed with the ingenuity of the Darursai. Before she had even begun to understand the basics, however, morning was suddenly there.

She only noticed because Tom started his morning shift. Kathryn had slept through the night which should have been an encouraging sign if it wasn’t for her labored breathing and high temperature. 

The Doctor insisted that Seven should take a break for a while to get either something to eat or to regenerate. She decided to eat something because that way she could stay in Sick Bay. 

Replicating one of her own nutritious mixtures, she could see the Doctor frown at her. Apparently this was not what he had meant when he said she needed a break. But the drink did help as it gave her all the nutrients she needed and she felt a bit better.

Just when she finished her drink the doors of Sick Bay opened and Icheb walked in. Seven was surprised to see him and for a moment she was worried that he had fallen ill. But after nodding at the Doctor and Tom he moved towards Kathryn’s bed.

“Hello Seven.” Icheb said. “How is the Captain?”

Seven knew that Icheb cared for the Captain like everyone else on Voyager and ever since Seven and Kathryn had officially started dating, he had spend a lot more time with the Captain than before. Even so, Seven was moved that he came by to see how Kathryn was doing.

“She is not doing so good.” She told him. She didn’t want to worry him but also didn’t want to lie. 

He looked at her and she could see pity in his eyes. He understood how hard this was for her. 

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked her.

“I don’t think so. I feel completely useless myself.” She admitted to him while looking back at Kathryn’s face. “Did Chakotay assign you my shifts in Astrometrics?”

“He did. But there isn’t much to do there as we are still in orbit.” He told her. “We did get access to the Darursai’s astronomy database though and it is amazing. They even helped me to make sense of it.”

Seven froze, her full attention snapping back to Icheb. “Have you been in contact with the Darursai?”

“Yes. They have been very helpful to me.” He said surprised at her strong reaction. “Why?”

“Do they know… that you used to be Borg?” She asked him, hesitant to remind him of that fact but needing to know all the same. 

“I don’t know… It never came up.” He frowned. “Why are you asking this Seven?”

“You should be careful.” Seven hesitated, not sure how much she should tell him. But they had always been completely honest with each other. It was one of the things she appreciated the most about their relationship. 

“They have had their own encounters with the Borg.” She sighed. “When two of them came on board just after the away team came back… they reacted quite strongly to me. The Captain explained my situation… but I never realized you would be in contact with them as well.”

“I am sure it will be fine, Seven.” He tried to comfort her. “I even spoke to their Caesar and he seemed like a wise man.”

“You spoke to Uzai?” Seven’s surprise grew. 

“Yes.” Icheb said. “He actually told me that you met him. Was he one of the Darursai that came on board?”

“He was.” Seven answered. Then she realized that the Caesar must know who Icheb was and she understood that his access to their databases was meant as a peace offering.

Icheb was still looking at her with concern and she tried to stop overthinking so he wouldn’t worry.

“Just be on your guard, that’s all I’m saying.” She told him, letting the topic drop.

“Are you alright, Seven?” He suddenly asked her. “I mean, I know you must be very worried about the Captain but… you don’t look too good yourself.”

“I’m fine.” She said with some frustration in her voice but then softened her tone. “Don’t worry about me Icheb. Like you said, I am just worried.”

“She will be alright, Seven.” Icheb tried to comfort her. 

“I know. She has to be.” She agreed while turning her attention back to the sleeping Kathryn.

Icheb stayed with her all morning and she appreciated his calming presence even though they mostly sat in silence. He left to eat lunch in the Mess Hall and then returned to his studies of the Darursai’s database. He didn’t ask her to join him for lunch and she was grateful that he understood that she didn’t want to leave.

The Doctor didn’t try again either. He often checked on Kathryn but his instruments and scans showed no improvement. The Darursai contacted Voyager too from time to time, mostly with questions about the human immune system. They didn’t have any more breakthroughs to report. 

After Icheb had left, Seven put down her padd, too tired to keep reading. She let go of Kathryn’s hand for a moment to rub her eyes and face in exhaustion.

“Seven?” Kathryn’s soft voice reached her ears and for a moment she thought she had dreamed it.

Quickly opening her eyes she sat up straight and saw that Kathryn was awake again. She was shivering violently and her eyes had a burning look in them but they were looking directly at her.

“Kathryn… I’m here.” She said while taking back her hand and stroking her forehead softly. “Do you want some water?”

Kathryn gave her a nod and Seven helped her to sit up to drink. After Seven put the glass back down Kathryn clutched at her arms and she decided not to let her go just yet. Kathryn’s breathing sounded better too now she was sitting up. 

Holding her tight she soothingly moved her hands up and down Kathryn’s arms while she gently placed kisses on top of her girlfriends head. They were both totally oblivious to Tom and the Doctor silently observing them.

“I don’t want to go back to sleep.” Kathryn suddenly said.

“The Doctor says sleep is good for you.” Seven countered even though she wanted Kathryn to stay awake for a while.

“I have such… terrible dreams.” Kathryn shuddered and she started to shake violently in Seven’s arms. “Please… Seven…”

“What do you need, Kathryn?” She answered her. “Ask me anything and I will do it.”

“I don’t know.” Kathryn said while her teeth started to chatter. “Just keep me awake.”

“Okay.” Seven looked around them for a while and her eyes landed on the table with Kathryn’s books. “Would you like me to read to you for a while?”

Kathryn sighed and nodded her head, too exhausted to answer. Seven understood and picked up the book Kathryn had been reading before. Thankfully she used a book marker so Seven easily found the place where she had left off. Holding the book in one hand while keeping her arms closed around Kathryn, she started to read.

Kathryn felt herself relax as Seven’s voice scared away the demons in her head. The dreams she had had were so terrible that the accompanying feelings were hard to forget. She also felt very cold and her whole body hurt. The pains in her chest and head were especially disturbing and the fear of sleep almost made her panic. 

Kathryn pressed her head against Seven’s chest so she could feel the vibrations from her voice course through her. She tried to listen to the story but couldn’t really take the words in. Instead she just focused on the sound of Seven’s voice and let the melody of it calm her down. 

Seven noticed when Kathryn fell back asleep. She placed the bookmarker back at the place where she had started because she knew Kathryn couldn’t have followed the story very well in her current state.

Putting the book down she remained in the same position for a while, holding Kathryn even though she felt her own body temperature rise from holding her so close. When she knew for sure that Kathryn was fast asleep, she very gently untangled herself again. Standing up from the biobed she walked over to the Doctor.

“Is there anything else we can do for her?” She asked him, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice. 

“I am afraid not, Seven.” The Doctor sighed. “I am still researching what medication might work but it doesn’t look very promising so far… That pathogen is very resistant. But perhaps we should try to get her to eat something the next time she wakes up.”

Seven nodded, already running through a list of suitable meals in her head. It wasn’t much but at least she would do something to help out.

Not wanting to distract the Doctor any further she went back to her chair and even though she still preferred to stand, she felt so tired that she sat down.

Hours passed. The other members of the away team came in for their check ups and to see how the Captain was doing. Seven knew she should make some small talk with them but couldn’t find the energy to do so. Thankfully they didn’t push her much. Neither did Chakotay who also came by after his shift.

Kathryn got more and more restless in her sleep and it was very distracting. Unable to focus on the Darursai’s research any longer, Seven put down the padds and just focused on Kathryn. Stroking her skin and whispering softly to her, trying to let her know that she was there. 

Then when night came, Kathryn started to mumble. At first Seven could not make out the words but then she started to pick up on names, her own name mostly and the name of Kathryn’s sister. She also seemed to talk to or cry out for her parents but what she wanted was unclear. All Seven could do was just hold her and try to sooth her.

“Should we try and wake her?” Seven finally asked the Doctor, unsure of how much longer she could listen to her girlfriend’s distress.

“That is usually not a good idea, Seven.” The Doctor answered her with a very worried expression on his face. He gave the Captain some more painkillers but he was unsure if they were even helping her at this point.

Eventually Kathryn’s eyes opened again and Seven quickly stood up as to better look at her. She breathed a sigh of relief thinking that Kathryn had finally woken up from her nightmares.

“Seven…” Kathryn mumbled.

“Kathryn. It’s alright. I’m still here.” She answered her, already trying to decide what food would be most appealing to her right now.

“Seven… why is it snowing?” Kathryn asked her, her eyes drifting over the ceiling.

“What?” Seven asked her, almost certain that she had misunderstood. 

“Why is it snowing? Is it Christmas?” Kathryn asked her and Seven watched in shock as a weak smile appeared on her girlfriend’s face.

The Doctor had heard everything and was already filling up another hypospray with medication. Seven looked at him, silently asking him what she should do. He made a gesture with his hands, urging her to just play along.

Seven didn’t know how to do that. “Kathryn…”

“Are the doors closed?” Kathryn asked her, not noticing Seven’s distress. “I don’t want Mollie to get out in weather like this.”

Seven had to swallow a few times before she could answer. “Yes, Kathryn. All the doors are closed. Don’t worry about Mollie. She is… she is fine.”

“Good.” Kathryn mumbled as her eyes started to drift close again. “Good… you are so good to me… Seven… my Seven.”

“Kathryn…” Seven couldn’t get any more words out as she watched through her own tears as the Doctor pressed the hypospray against Kathryn’s neck. 

With a soft hiss the medication entered her bloodstream and Kathryn’s body relaxed as her breathing deepened. But now Seven heard a creaking sound every time her lungs tried to pull in air. 

Seven dropped her hands and felt completely drained. The tears that had welled up in her eyes started to fall down her cheeks as the Doctor walked around the biobed and wrapped his arms around her. 

Feeling completely lost she just leaned into the hug and let him carry her weight for a while. The tears flowed freely and Seven tried to let all of her fear, exhaustion and desperation pour out with them.

“Seven… I just gave her some very strong drugs that should keep her asleep… at least for a while.” The Doctor said when she straightened up again, wiping her own face clean. “Hallucinations caused by delirium… they are common in patients with such a high fever but it doesn’t mean… it doesn’t mean that we lost her.”

She nodded, trying to get her own breathing under control. Feeling completely drained she sank back in her chair. Looking at Kathryn’s feverish and troubled face she almost wished that it really was snowing. So that the soft flakes would bury them in a white blanket of cold peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it is dark, must be my mood. But the good news is that it can only get better from here right.... right? 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter! Any feedback is welcome.


	11. Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading this story!
> 
> This chapter was originally cut into two parts but I wanted to move the story along a bit faster so here it is in one long chapter. A quick reminder, not a doctor. ;) So any medical details that are completely wrong, please just ignore them or help me out. Any feedback is welcome!

During the rest of the night, Seven drifted in and out of sleep. She was so tired and even though the sound of Kathryn’s breathing did not improve, at least she looked peaceful again. She was no longer speaking and she looked like she did not have any more nightmares either. 

Tom and B’Elanna came in together when Tom started his morning shift. B’Elanna, Tuvok and Neelix came to Sick Bay for the scans twice a day and to hear if there was any on the treatment of the Blight but there wasn’t.

Seven couldn’t find the energy to talk to them so she just stayed in her chair, holding Kathryn’s hand. The rest of the morning she ignored Tom and the Doctor talking about the Darursai’s information. She knew she should try and contribute but she couldn’t move. 

Instead she thought back on the time she had read to Kathryn. Holding her burning body in her arms. Feeling the heat burn through their clothing, worrying but at the same time it felt so good to hold her after watching her from behind a forcefield for so long.

Then suddenly… one of the screens started to beep. Seven looked around, confused as to where the sound was coming from while the Doctor immediately approached Kathryn’s biobed.

“What is going on Doctor?” Seven asked him. 

“It’s her temperature.” He answered, looking very concerned. “It has reached critical levels. We have to try and cool her down somehow. The medication I gave her is not having any effect.”

Panic rose up inside Seven as she understood the implications of his words.

“Should I replicate some icepacks?” Tom asked the Doctor. 

“Yes, please do. We should try anything at this point.” The Doctor said as he filled up a hypospray with drugs he hadn’t tried yet. 

Seven tried to keep up with them, running through cooling methods in her head. But it wasn’t exactly her area of expertise. As a former Borg drone she didn’t need to think about temperature as much as a normal human did. Her implants regulated her body temperature, adjusting it to extreme environments if necessary.

“Maybe I can help.” She told the Doctor as he administered the medication to Kathryn. “I can regulate my own body temperature through my implants. Maybe… maybe we could somehow use that to help her…”

She knew she sounded unsure but she just couldn’t figure out the details. Yet somehow she knew this could help Kathryn.

“I don’t see how, Seven. Your nanoprobes need your implants to help cool you down. Even if we reprogrammed them and administered them to the Captain… they wouldn't have the same effect in her.” The Doctor told her. “Besides I don’t know if it would be safe.”

“What if I lower my own body temperature and just try to cool her down with my body?” Seven asked. 

“You mean function as a cooling mechanism like the icepacks?” The Doctor sounded surprised while he gently removed the Captain’s pajama shirt. Leaving her only in a thin tank top and her pajama pants.

“Yes.” Seven stubbornly replied. “It will probably work better than those packs. Skin to skin contact works very well in hypothermia… I guess it works the same the other way around as well.”

“I guess so but… you would need to lower your own temperature way down, and keep it down, for this to work. Could you do that? Without harming yourself?” The Doctor still looked hesitant as he arranged the ice packs Tom gave him around the Captain.

“I have never done this before but I am sure it is safe. Please let me try.” She pleaded, desperate to do something to help Kathryn.

“Alright. Like I said we have to try anything at this point.” The Doctor finally conceded. 

The Doctor helped her adjust her implants, fooling her cranial implant into thinking that she was in an extremely hot environment. She took off her biosuit and covered herself in a thin heat repelling blanket the Doctor held out to her, loosely wrapping it around her as her body started to cool down.

It was a very strange sensation and Seven’s curious mind was distracted for a moment. She experienced cold from her human parts, especially her hands and feet which started protesting immediately. But her implants were giving off signals of extreme heat and urged her nanoprobes to spread cold throughout her body.

Tom had adjusted the biobed so that it would be able to fit both Kathryn and Seven. She spread the blanket to cover Kathryn as well and then very carefully took off Kathryn’s clothing, making sure that her body was still hidden from the eyes of Tom and the Doctor.

She suddenly felt self-conscious as her skin once again touched her girlfriend’s naked body. But there was nothing sexual about it this time, all of this was just so that Kathryn would survive.

“Are you alright, Seven?” The Doctor asked her as he adjusted the screens on the biobed so that they would read her vital signs as well.

“Yes.” She answered shortly because her teeth had started to chatter. 

Her implants and nanoprobes had done their work very efficiently and much faster than she had thought possible. Her body had cooled down rapidly and the sensation of Kathryn’s burning skin against hers was almost unbearable. It felt like she was burning and freezing at the same time. 

She wrapped Kathryn in her arms and placed one of her hands at the back of her neck while the other stroked her back without causing too much friction. Seven moved around a bit underneath the blanket so that she could entangle their legs together as well and then finally settled down in a comfortable position.

“I am going to keep a close eye on your vitals because this can’t be healthy for you human physiology.” The Doctor sounded unsure, as if he already regretted giving her permission to do this.

Seven could only nod in response. Her vision was already turning blurry and she could feel her other senses dull as well. As if she was being dragged into a cold deep sleep. She wrapped her arms as tightly around Kathryn as possible, resting her cheek on top of her head and then just let her eyes drift closed.

Kathryn couldn’t figure out what was real and what was part of her nightmares. Everything around her confused her, the sounds, the smells… 

She had dreamt of Earth… at least she thought she had. She was pretty sure she had dreamt of her dog Mollie and Seven was there as well…

Seven had been in all of her dreams but also her nightmares. She had watched as Seven died in explosions, of phaser fire, of stab wounds… it had been a terrible parade of different scenarios in which she lost the woman she loved.

And then there had been the nightmares about the Borg… Reassimilating Seven, kidnapping Seven… The Borg Queen had been there, her sickly sweet voice inside her head as she explained to Kathryn how Seven had always been and would always been hers. How nothing they had experienced in the past four years had been real. 

She heard the sounds of the Borg cube… the smells of the metal… the burning heat of the Borg environment and the ice cold feeling of the drone fingers grasping at them… taking her Seven away.

She tried to scream, she tried to hold onto Seven with all of her power but it was never enough. Every time Seven was dragged away from her and she would only find her again as a reassimilated drone or dead… cradling her dead body in her arms as she had in all those other nightmares.

The sounds surrounding her right now did not sound like a Borg cube... and the smells were different too. She realized Seven was close, sensing her presence even before she could open her eyes. 

When she did open her eyes she found she was actually in Seven’s arms. Relief flooded through her at that realization and she snuggled closer, pressing her face against Seven’s clavicle. 

But then alarms went off in her head again… this was another nightmare starting…

Seven was cold… way too cold. Her skin had turned white, almost grey… like the Borg. 

Alarmed Kathryn raised her head to look up at Seven’s face, already expecting to see her blue eyes stare at her without any light of life in them. But her eyes were closed. Her face was scrunched up in a frown and she did not move. Her lips were blue and closed. Was she even breathing?

Kathryn started to struggle, trying to move but Seven’s cold arms were closed tightly around her.

“Seven?” She tried to ask but the sound wouldn’t come out as panic closed her throat.

Thankfully Seven reacted to her struggles. Slowly her blue eyes opened, a very dazed expression in them that did nothing to calm Kathryn’s nerves.

“Kathryn?” Seven’s voice sounded slurred, as if she was not completely awake. Something definitely was wrong with her.

“Seven… please… don’t die.” Kathryn pleaded with her, needing her to stay with her.

Seven just looked at her, confusion spread across her face and she frowned as if she did not understand what Kathryn was saying.

“Captain.” Suddenly another voice was right next to her and Kathryn strained her neck to see who it was. The Doctor was standing next to them and suddenly she realized they were in Sick Bay on a biobed. 

“Don’t worry Captain. Seven is fine.” The Doctor assured her in a soft voice.

Kathryn looked back at Seven but she had closed her eyes again and she definitely did not look fine to her.

“Your fever got so bad that we had to find ways to cool you down. Seven lowered her own body temperature to help out.” The Doctor explained. “It has worked quite well so far, I have to admit.”

“Why is she… why is she like this?” Kathryn asked, unable to put the strange behavior of her girlfriend into words.

“Her body has slowed everything down to cope with the cold.” The Doctor told her. “But don’t worry Captain, she is not in any danger.”

Kathryn tried to relax but found it hard because Seven’s embrace was at once familiar as strange because her arms were so cold. She felt the press of a hypospray against her neck and then somehow sleep found her again.

“Seven, you have to wake up.” The Doctor’s voice was piercing through the blissful silence that surrounded her.

She was trembling and trying to get as close to the warm body in her arms as possible and away from the voice. There was a terrible pain in her fingers and toes and her skin felt as if she had been flayed alive. 

Slowly she controlled her breathing, trying to stop the shuddering gasps that wrecked her body. Then suddenly she realized that the Doctor’s voice was not the only one she heard. There were others, some she recognized but others were strange.

Feeling more alert now she opened her eyes and they immediately landed on the sleeping form of Kathryn in her arms. She looked peaceful and for a moment Seven forgot why there were there and just enjoyed being this close to her girlfriend, feeling her skin on her own painful skin. 

“I have altered your cranial implant so your body is warming up again.” The Doctor spoke up and she realized he was standing right next to them. Raising her eyes up to him she saw that there was a very excited look on his face.

“Did it work?” Seven asked him as she slowly untangled herself from Kathryn, identifying her own limbs and moving them softly away. “Is she okay?”

“It did work and she doing better.” The Doctor told her. “You managed to lower down her temperature quite well even though she still has a fever.”

“Then why did you wake me?” Seven was very confused as she sat up a bit without moving the thin blanket away from Kathryn. 

Then she saw who else was in the room with them. Tom was there and the other members of the away team were back, as well as Chakotay. But there were also three Darursai standing next to him and their presence made Seven tense up, grabbing the blanket even tighter to make sure that they could not see their naked bodies.

“Don’t worry, they can’t see you.” The Doctor told her. “I put a one-sided forcefield in place so you could get dressed.” 

When she concentrated she could hear the forcefield’s soft hum and only then did she notice the biosuit he was holding. She gratefully accepted it, got up and got dressed.

“So why did you wake me and why are they all here?” Seven asked him again. 

“There has been another breakthrough… at least they think it is.” He told her but his answer did not help with all the questions in her head.

Seven felt a bit shaky on her legs and she felt annoyed too. The sleep she had had was incredibly peaceful. Like she really was buried underneath a blanket of snow. Waking up to find so many people surrounding her and so many questions rising up in her head was very frustrating.

After making sure that Kathryn was still completely covered by the blanket, she followed the Doctor to join the large group of people awaiting them.

They all immediately looked at her, making Seven very uncomfortable. The Darursai were openly staring, one of them even had his mouth hanging open but none of them spoke. Thankfully Tom broke the ice. 

“Hello Seven. How was hibernation?” He asked her with a wink. 

She shot him an annoyed but grateful look and then turned to find Neelix approaching her. “I have made you some soup, Seven. I thought it would help warm you up again.”

Grateful Seven accepted the warm bowl and remembering his lessons when she first started eating food, turned to found a stool to sit down. All of her movements were carefully watched by the Darursai but she ignored them for now as she let the scalding liquid of the soup warm her up. The taste wasn’t bad either. 

“I think it best if we explain to you what has happened while you were… hibernating.” The Doctor smiled at her and Seven was glad that she could just focus on him while she ate. “We told the Darursai how you were cooling down the Captain and they were amazed at the abilities of your Borg implants. It made them reevaluate your nanoprobes as a solution.”

Seven shifted on the stool in discomfort, remembering the last time her Borgness had been a topic with the Darursai. 

“The nanoprobes were considered as a medication against the Blight before, by the group that was studying the symptoms of the away team. But only in the same way as our antibiotics and other medications were. But then you showed them the diversity of Borg technology.” The Doctor continued. “They then combined the research with the other group that was studying the specifics of the Darursai’s natural defense. They realized that they could combine both methods, by combining the Darursai’s natural defense against the Blight and your nanoprobes to make it compatible for other species.” 

Seven kept eating the soup while the Doctor explained this to her and shot the Darursai’s some curious looks. She then realized that they were looking at her with interest, almost a hunger, not fear. She did not know which she preferred.

“The idea is to reprogram your nanoprobes so that they can carry the Darursai’s defense, creating a… microscopic super soldier that would attack the pathogen.” The Doctor was practically jumping up and down with glee but Seven could not join him yet.

“Have you run simulations to see if this would work?” Seven asked the Doctor but one of the Darursai answered.

“We have.” He told her almost breathlessly. “But first I must say that it is an honor to meet you. Our Caesar has told us about you, about your escape from the Borg and your brave struggle to regain your heritage and we are really honored to be in your presence.”

Seven just stared at him, not sure what she should say. She looked at the others for help. B’Elanna and Tom both had their hands pressed against their mouths, apparently trying to suppress laughter while Chakotay and Neelix just looked at her as if asking her to go with the flow. 

“Um… okay. You are welcome I suppose.” Seven answered the Darursai who were still looking at her expectantly. “But back to these simulations. How did you simulate the behavior of the nanoprobes?”

“The Doctor helped us with that.” The man who had spoken to her, probably the leader of the group, answered her with a nod to the Doctor. “He told us on Revaik how your nanoprobes have helped solve other medical mysteries in the past and we got quite a good idea of their nature. It truly is fascinating.”

Seven decided that she rather had the Darursai be disgusted by the Borg. This… admiration was making her feel sick and she quickly put down the bowl of soup as she could not eat anymore. Her body had already warmed up again anyhow. 

“All we have to do now is combine your nanoprobes and our… carrier and see if our models are correct.” The man continued. “But I promise you, we have tested this theory in every way we could… except of course in practice.”

The hunger in his gaze intensified after that last statement. Seven quickly looked away and returned her gaze to the Doctor. 

“We will have to extract quite a few nanoprobes for this to work, Seven.” He told her as he could sense her unease. “But first, I think it would be best if you regenerated. That way, both you and the probes will be in the best possible condition when we start.”

Seven frowned and quickly looked back at Kathryn who was still sleeping, completely unaware of all the upheaval around her. 

“I don’t want to leave Sick Bay, Doctor.” She told him. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t leave, not unless Kathryn could leave with her.

“I understand that.” He said while moving closer to her, making their conversation more private as the other crewmembers tactfully engaged the Darursai in conversation. 

The man who had spoken to Seven was not distracted however as he kept his gaze locked on her. Seven’s unease grew and she felt herself getting nauseous again, regretting eating the soup.

“I am positive that this will work, Seven.” The Doctor told her. “Your nanoprobes… they were always our best shot and I should have given them more thought as a solution. Leaving Sick Bay to regenerate… it is the best way for you to help the Captain.”

Seven took a deep breath, feeling angry but not sure who she was angry with. Looking back at Kathryn and then at the Darursai she knew the Doctor was right. 

“Just promise me you won’t leave her alone with these people.” Seven told him in a whisper so that only he could hear.

He looked at her in surprise but quickly told her that he would not leave Sick Bay nor the Captain’s side under any circumstance.

“Preferably I would have you complete a full cycle but that might take too long and we are still under a bit of time pressure.” The Doctor told her as she stood up. “I think it would be best if you regenerated for at least eight hours before we extract the nanoprobes.”

She nodded at him. Eight hours away from Kathryn still seemed like an eternity to her... but it would give her nanoprobes some time to recharge after her ‘hibernation’. 

Seven wanted to just slip out and go to the Cargo Bay quietly but the Darursai had returned their full attention to her now that she was standing up again. 

Thankfully Chakotay sensed the awkward atmosphere and offered to give them a tour of the ship as they waited for Seven to complete her regeneration. 

“If it is not too much to ask I would love to see this regeneration myself.” The leader said while he ignored the Commander. 

“I prefer to regenerate in private.” Seven told him with all the diplomatic sensitivity she could muster as the man was really getting on her nerves. He looked disappointed but did not ask her again. As his two companions followed Chakotay out of Sick Bay he shot her one more look and then followed him.

“Wow…” B’Elanna said just after the doors closed. “Was it just me or was that a bit creepy?”

“Yeah, they certainly have changed their mind about the Borg.” Tom agreed with her and Seven was relieved that the uneasy feeling was not just hers. 

“Come on, Seven.” B’Elanna said to her, shaking her from her thoughts. “I will walk with you to the Cargo Bay. Just to be safe.”

Seven smiled at her, grateful for the gesture even though she knew she could handle the Darursai on her own just as well. Looking back one last time to Kathryn, she sighed and then left Sick Bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	12. Drops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this new chapter! Hope you will like it.

“So are you really alright?” B’Elanna asked Seven as they walked through the corridors. “First your hibernation and then the news that your nanoprobes might safe us. It is a lot to process and those Darursai aren’t really making things easier.”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Seven answered her even though she still felt chills run along her spine and they had nothing to do with her hibernation. “Besides, the Darursai are the ones who figured out this cure. I can only be grateful to them.”

“All the same, I think we should keep an eye on that one fellow who couldn’t stop salivating at the thought of your nanoprobes.” B’Elanna countered as they stepped into the turbolift.

Seven didn’t respond. It wasn’t the first time that they had encountered an alien species which found her remaining Borg technology appealing. Still, the reaction of the research leader had been so different from the reaction of Uzai and Melai when they first encountered her, that it had been quite a surprise. 

As they entered the Cargo Bay, Seven tried to cast all those thoughts from her mind. She needed to focus on her regeneration now and like the last time, it was going to be a bit of a challenge to get that done. 

B’Elanna looked at her expectantly while Seven stared at her alcove with an odd expression on her face. “Don’t feel too much pressure, Seven.” She tried to comfort her. “I mean yes, once again your nanoprobes and superior immune system will get us out of a bad situation but… I don’t know… try not to think about it.”

“That is terrible advice, Lieutenant.” Seven said but couldn't help but smile. 

“I know.” B’Elanna smiled back but then turned serious again. “Do you want me to stay?”

Seven thought about it for a minute. Normally she liked to regenerate alone as she found it very uncomfortable to have people watching her. Except for Kathryn. Kathryn’s gaze as she regenerated had often given her a sense of safety, like a caress that broke through the cold of the Borg alcove. Right now she felt very unsafe and even though she trusted B’Elanna, she didn’t think her presence would help her complete her task.

“I don’t know if I will be able to regenerate with someone watching me.” She replied and then cast a nervous look towards the doors. She was sure that the Commander and Neelix would keep their Darursai guests preoccupied and away from her... but still it felt odd that there were strangers walking around Voyager.

“Okay.” B’Elanna followed her gaze towards the doors. “You know I could put a lock on those doors. So that only our crew could break it or maybe even just you and me.”

“That would be very helpful.” Seven answered relieved. 

“Consider it done.” B’Elanna said as she walked back to the doors, giving Seven her space. “You get those nanoprobes charged up for us now.”

“Will do.” Seven stepped onto the platform of her alcove and as she was programming her regeneration cycle of eight hours she heard the doors close behind Lieutenant Torres.

The silence that followed pressed in on her ears, only interrupted by the humming of the Borg technology. Ignoring the sound and the green lightning flashing around the room, Seven quickly stepped into the alcove. Trying to regain the peace she had felt holding Kathryn in her arms, cooling her down, she let the regeneration start.

Kathryn woke up from her own teeth chattering. She felt cold and warm all at once and felt like something was missing. She thought Seven had been there, holding her, but as she sluggishly moved around she did not feel her arms around her. Only the soft material of her pajamas and the blanket.

Opening her eyes she saw that she was still in Sick Bay but that it appeared to be empty. Seven wasn’t there. Then the Doctor walked in from his office and saw her searching look.

“Captain!” He quickly walked over to her. “I’m sorry. I did not expect you to wake up with all the medication I have given you.”

“Where… is Seven?” Kathryn gasped both from the shivers that wrecked her body and from the pain in her chest that made breathing painful. 

“Seven is regenerating.” The Doctor answered. “The Darursai have made another breakthrough in their research. They think they can use Seven’s nanoprobes to defeat the Blight.”

Kathryn’s mind didn’t completely follow what he was saying. All she heard was that Seven was regenerating, which meant she really wasn’t there. 

She tried to find a comfortable spot on the biobed but her body hurt all over and she did not know if she wanted to stay under the blanket or throw it away from her.

“After Seven finishes her hours of regeneration we will get working on the cure immediately.” The Doctor continued. “I will probably test it out on the others first to see what their reaction will be but I hope that by the end of the day I will finally be able to give you something that will actually make you feel better.”

Kathryn nodded at him, not because she understood what he had said but because she just wanted him to stop talking.

“Now that you are awake, you should drink something and maybe eat something too?” He asked her even though her eyes had closed again.

“Just water.” She croaked out as she did feel parched and her throat really hurt. 

He helped her sit up a bit and drink but the water did not help much. She almost choked and that caused her to start coughing again which was very painful. Rolling onto her side, she just waited for the press of another hypospray to her neck and then fell back into the wonderful darkness of sleep.

When the eight hours were almost up, Seven finally gave up trying. Her regeneration had not gone well, she kept waking up because she was just too stressed to relax. She also felt some pain from her body being so cold for so long. All in all she probably got around five and a half hours of regeneration done and that just had to be enough.

Walking back to Sick Bay she was annoyed at herself because even this simple task had proven to be too difficult. Her mood did not improve when she saw the Darursai already gathered in Sick Bay. 

Her eyes immediately went to Kathryn and she saw that she had rolled on her side but was still sleeping. Ignoring the Darursai, the members of the away team, Tom and the Doctor, she walked up to Kathryn to check that she was doing well. 

Kathryn had clutched the blanket in her hands, pulled it up right to her chin. Seven was grateful to see that she was once again wearing her pajamas. The Doctor must have dressed her while she was regenerating. 

This also meant that her temperature was still down from the dangerous high of the day before. But she could still feel her skin burning as she softly stroked Kathryn’s cheek. Watching the small drops of sweat on her forehead, like dew on the petals of a flower.

“Seven?” Without her noticing it, the Doctor had approached her, shaking her from her thoughts. Seven realized she had stared at Kathryn for quite some time. She needed to move, they needed her nanoprobes.

“I have already set up a station in my office.” The Doctor told her. “I thought it would be best to extract your nanoprobes in private.”

This surprised Seven a little but she gratefully followed him through the door. She turned around to face him and then noticed the window was blinded and watched in surprise as the Doctor closed the door with some vigor.

“What is going on Doctor?” She asked him. “Why are you being so secretive?”

“The research leader… Aimar.” The Doctor answered. “He has been very… interested in your nanoprobes. He wanted to discuss further application of them.”

“To fight the Blight?” Seven sat down on the chair and was already rolling up the sleeve on her left arm.

“No, not to fight the Blight.” The Doctor’s voice had a dark tone. “He wanted to discuss ways to weaponize the nanoprobes… to not just battle illness but to spread them too. I have to admit that I have given them a lot of information about your probes because we were looking for a cure. They gave us unlimited access to their databases and I am afraid I did the same thing.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Doctor.” Seven comforted him. “You were trying to find a cure for the away team. If you hadn’t shared this information with them, they might never have come up with this breakthrough.”

“Well, yes... maybe.” The Doctor tentatively agreed while he pressed the extraction tubes into her skin. “Either way, I have asked Commander Chakotay to send a coded message to Melai to tell her about Aimar’s questions. Just to be safe and to find out what she thinks of his inquiries. I have also told the Darursai that only I will handle your nanoprobes and will be present at all times while we manufacture the cure.”

“This all sounds rather serious, Doctor.” Seven said as she felt the nanoprobes being pulled out of her bloodstream.

“I might be overreacting but I wanted to be on the safe side.” The Doctor agreed. “Anyway, you should not worry about that. How did you regeneration go? I haven’t even asked you about that yet.”

“I didn’t complete the full eight hours.” Seven admitted. “I… couldn’t relax.” 

“I can understand that.” The Doctor said as he collected the probes. “Well, we will just have to see how your probes handle themselves as they are right now. Giving their resilient nature I am sure we will succeed either way. The regeneration was just an extra assurance.”

Seven knew he was trying to make her feel better but she could not stop thinking about what he had told her about Aimar. She hadn’t expected the Darursai to consider her nanoprobes as weapons so quickly after meeting her. She really hoped that Melai and perhaps Uzai would feel differently. Otherwise that message from the Doctor might just prove very counterproductive…

“How much more do you need, Doctor?” She asked when she started to feel a bit dizzy.

“I’m sorry, Seven. We will need quite a lot for this to work. Does it hurt? Should I stop?” The Doctor asked her.

“No! Don’t stop. Get as much as you need.” Seven quickly assured him, she wanted to make sure she gave enough probes so that Kathryn would be cured. “I was just starting to feel a little dizzy but you can keep going. Even if I pass out.”

“Please give me a warning before you do that. I am sure we don’t have to go that far.” He said looking concerned.

“You don’t really need me conscious for the next part, do you?” Seven tried to make it sound like a joke but she could see that the Doctor wasn’t fooled.

“I am sure the Captain wants you conscious when this works.” He teased her.

“Will the cure really work that quickly?” She asked hopeful.

“There is no real telling how fast this will work but all the models show that it will be very effective. I will test it out on Tuvok first.” He explained. “Like the last time, I think he is the best test subject.”

Seven nodded as she didn’t feel the need to respond. Also, she felt her nausea rise up again because her nanoprobes were leaving her body in record numbers. She didn’t want to risk throwing up as she was talking to the Doctor.

“Just a little more.” He told her while keeping his eyes on her face. Then after a few more minutes he finally stopped the extraction. “There that should be enough.” 

Seven took some deep breaths as he pulled the tubes out of her arm and then gratefully accepted the glass of water he had put on his desk before they started. 

“So what is next?” She asked when she felt sure that she could speak again.

“Now, we have to reprogram them and combine them with the Darursai’s carrier.” The Doctor said while looking at the tubes filled with plasma and nanoprobes. “I will do that here so we won't disturb the Captain too much. You can stay here if you want, to watch. Or you can go to the main room to get your bearings.”

“Thank you.” She said while she slowly stood up. “I would rather return to the Captain’s side. Good luck, Doctor.” 

He smiled at her and then after giving her one last look opened the door towards the main room of Sick Bay.

“What is going on here?” The Doctor asked no one in particular as he and Seven were greeted with a storm of raised voices when they entered the main room.

Seven was immediately alert again, despite her nausea and slight pain. Her eyes quickly darted to Kathryn but the fight or discussion took place far away from her biobed. Still she was relieved to see both Tom and B’Elanna positioned between the Captain and the fighting Darursai. 

“It seems you have told my people about my questions Doctor!” Aimar scolded him while approaching them. “There was really no need to do so. My questions stem from a scientific curiosity, nothing else!”

“Then I don’t see why you are upset about me asking Melai if she shares this same scientific curiosity.” The Doctor countered as he stepped forward, placing himself between Aimar and Seven.

Seven looked around the room trying to keep up with what was happening. Melai and Uzai were both there again and Commander Chakotay was with them. Tuvok had positioned himself between the two groups of Darursai and he had two other crewmembers from Security with him. All three of them kept their eyes locked on Aimar.

The room started to spin a bit and Seven really just wanted to sit down. Ignoring the fight between the Doctor and Aimar, she sidled away from them and towards Kathryn’s bed. 

Both Tom and B’Elanna reached out to her but she softly shook her head to signal that she didn’t need any help. She definitely didn’t need any further attention drawn to her. As quickly as she could she walked towards the chair besides Kathryn’s bed and gratefully sank down on it when she finally reached it. 

“Perhaps we can continue this discussion somewhere else?” Chakotay’s voice rang out above all the others and it was clear that he didn’t really mean it as a question. 

Guiding the whole group into the Doctor’s office he shot Seven an apologetic look and then firmly closed the door. Leaving Neelix, B’Elanna and Tom with Kathryn and Seven. 

“What the hell happened?” Seven broke the silence while she put her head down into her hands. Closing her eyes she willed the room to stop spinning as she was sure she would throw up otherwise.

“The Darursai seem to have some differing views on the progression of their science.” B’Elanna told her cryptically. “That Aimar fellow apparently wanted to know how your Borg technology could be used for something other than curing us.”

“I know, the Doctor told me.” Seven mumbled between her fingers.

“Yes, well the Doctor send a message down to Revaik to ask Melai about her views on the subject.” Tom continued the explanation. “Apparently it was not a surprise to her. Aimar is part of a group of scientists who are not afraid to… push the boundaries of ethics.”

“Uzai was quite angry.” Neelix joined in. “He did not want Aimar involved in this project from the start. We never even met him during our stay on Revaik. But he is brilliant and he was the one who came up with this cure. However, when the Caesar heard about his questions about your probes… he came to Voyager to pull him off the project.”

“What does that mean?” Seven panicked. “We still need him for the cure don’t we?”

“No, we don’t.” B’Elanna comforted her. “Melai and the others are just as capable to finish making the cure now that the theory behind it is thought out. But Aimar refused to leave before it was all finished. He was making quite a scene of it too, I think that if you hadn’t showed up with the Doctor, Tuvok might have put him in the Brig.”

“Probably not. That would have really hurt our diplomatic relations.” Neelix countered. 

The others started to talk about what might have happened but Seven had heard enough. She was relieved to know that at least the Caesar of the Darursai did not want to use her nanoprobes as a weapon. However, she was still worried how this might affect the cure.

Unable to take Kathryn’s hand as they were both clutched tightly around the hem of the blanket, she trailed her fingers through her damp hair. Both trying to sooth her girlfriend from anything she might have heard while also calming herself down. She really wanted to lie down next to her as she still felt a bit squeamish but she didn’t because she wanted to be able to get to her feet fast. If needed...

After a while the door to the Doctor’s office opened again and Uzai walked towards them with Chakotay in his wake. 

“I am really sorry about all of this.” Uzai told the group. “What you must think of us…”

“Don’t worry Caesar. We have encountered a lot worse on our travels.” Neelix said but Seven was unsure if that was what the Darursai leader wanted to hear.

“Thank you.” He graciously replied. “I asked Tuvok to accompany Aimar and his associate to your transporter and to send them back to the surface of Revaik. They will no longer trouble you.” 

At that last statement he looked directly at Seven but she could only nod at him. 

“I will go as well to handle things back home…” He continued. “Melai and Okai will stay to help you manufacture the cure. We will keep in touch in case you need anything else and of course we will want to hear how it turns out.” 

The others murmured some thank-you’s and goodbyes as the Caesar left Sick Bay accompanied by the Commander. Tom walked over to the office as the Sick Bay doors closed, to see if he could help. 

Seven could feel Neelix and B’Elanna looking at her and realized she must not look that good. Neelix offered to get her something to eat or drink but she told him she didn’t need anything. The thought of food was unbearable right now.

She was relieved when they started talking to each other again. Pulling the chair closer to the bed she returned her hand to Kathryn’s hair. Then, not caring how it might look, she laid down her head next to the Captain’s pillow and closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think!


	13. Spray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Here is chapter 13... the unlucky number...
> 
> If you like this fan fiction please let me know in the comments, they always inspire me and help the story along.

Seven watched as the Doctor administered the cure to Tuvok, B’Elanna and Neelix. Everything moved rather quickly and before she knew it, he was standing next to Kathryn with another hypospray in his hands.

An uneasy feeling settled over Seven, as if something was going to go wrong but she could not stop it because she did not remember what it was... 

Then, just as the Doctor placed the hypospray on Kathryn’s neck, Tuvok doubled over in pain. Seven whipped her head around at the sound of his moans and groans and watched in horror as metal pierced through his skin... Borg implants appearing on his face and his hands as he fell to his knees.

“No…” Seven knew she should get up, do something... even though she didn’t know what.

Then her fear and panic reached a new height when she quickly turned her attention back to Kathryn... but it was too late… the Doctor had already pressed the button that caused Seven’s nanoprobes to enter Kathryn’s bloodstream.

He briefly exchanged a horrified look with her and then quickly ran to Tuvok’s side who was now lying on the ground, motionless as the implants grew and his skin turned a sickly greyish color.

Seven started to tremble all over while she clutched Kathryn’s hand in her own. She had to think. What could she do? 

Both B’Elanna and Neelix were turning too, being assimilated by the nanoprobes that were supposed to deliver the cure. Tom was on the floor desperately clutching B’Elanna in his arms but like Seven he did not know what to do.

“Seven?” Kathryn’s voice cut through Seven’s haze of panic as their eyes locked. “What is happening?”

“No…” Seven gathered Kathryn in her arms as she felt Borg metal started to press through her beautiful skin. “This can’t be happening. Kathryn...” 

She looked around for help. The Doctor was back at his station. “We should be able to reprogram the nanoprobes… make them stop somehow.” His voice shook with desperation. 

Seven knew she should go over to help him but she could not let go of Kathryn. Then she watched in horror as Tuvok, or the drone that used to be Tuvok, got up from the floor. 

He walked over to the Doctor and before she could scream out a warning he pressed his assimilation tubes to the Doctor’s mobile emitter and then the Doctor was gone... The mobile emitter clattered to the floor.

“No! Please no…” Seven was crying now and she tried to get up, to reach Tom as he was struggling with the drone that had been B’Elanna. But Kathryn… her Kathryn was holding her down with a strength that Seven could not match. 

Looking back at the face of the woman she loved she could see that the light in the beautiful gray eyes had gone. There was nothing but a black emptiness now. 

“Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One." The voice was both Kathryn’s and the Borg Queen’s and Seven froze in horror. "You will be assimilated. You will go back to where you belong.” Then she felt assimilation tubes press into her neck…

With a start Seven woke up. Leaping to her feet and causing her chair to fall over. 

Completely disoriented she reached up a hand to her neck but could feel nothing there but smooth skin. She cast her eyes around the room, searching for threats but only finding the faces of her very startled crew members.

“Seven?” B’Elanna held her hands up in the air as if to show her she meant her no harm. “You alright?”

Seven could not get her breathing under control as she quickly looked back at Kathryn. She was still sleeping, there was a frown on her face but she was still asleep. And there was no sign of Borg implants or assimilation tubes anywhere.

Feeling drained and still scared Seven fell to her knees beside the biobed. Almost immediately she felt a hand touch her shoulder and before she could think about it she shrugged it away, cringing at the touch.

“Seven. It’s okay.” The Doctor’s soothing voice was right beside her, it must have been his hand that she had rebuffed. “You had a nightmare. Everything is alright.”

“The probes…” Seven tried to tell him. Should she warn him? It had all been so real. “The probes assimilated them… they all turned into drones… and you were… you were…”

She couldn’t continue. Even though the fear and panic still coursed through her veins she felt the details of the dream already slipping away. It hadn’t been real…

The Doctor’s hand was back on her shoulder and this time she leaned into the touch. “It was a dream, Seven. The probes will not harm them, they are carrying the cure. There is no way that they will be assimilated.”

She nodded and then tried to get back on her feet, needing a lot more assistance from him than she should have. Tom had already retrieved the chair from the floor and had placed it right behind her. Still trembling she sat back down, covering her face with her hands.

“You have been through a lot of stress.” The Doctor tried to explain her own behavior to her. “First all the waiting, then the hibernation and I am afraid I might have taken too many nanoprobes from your blood. Perhaps… I should reprogram some and put them back in as your body does not seem to recover as quickly as I thought.”

“No… I am fine.” She tried to assure him even though her voice sounded terribly weak to her own ears. “You need them for the cure. My body will adapt and make more.”

He was still studying her, scanning her with his tricorder and an awkward silence hung in the air. Seven couldn’t look at the others in the room, she was too embarrassed. 

“The best thing would be for you to regenerate right now. It would help your body recover.” The Doctor told her but before he could finish his last sentence, Seven lowered her hands and glared at him. Sighing he gave up. “But I know that is a battle I won’t win.”

He straightened up, gave her a glass of water and then walked back to his office. Seven could see Melai and the woman who must be Okai watching her through the office window. They had not run back into the main room like the Doctor had and as they noticed Seven looking back at them, they quickly looked away. Seven could feel a blush rise up in her cheeks.

“Don’t worry about it, Seven.” Neelix came over to comfort her. “We all have our nightmares. I used to have this recurring nightmare about a wild udox chasing me.”

“This just felt so real…” Seven said as she stroked the skin of her neck with her hand, observing the others as if making sure that they were still themselves. “How far along are they in making the cure?”

“They have essentially finished.” Tom told her. “They are just running some last tests. We were actually debating whether or not we should wake you for the big moment… but then you woke up yourself.”

Seven tried to return his grin but couldn’t quite shake the panicked feeling just yet. She let the others question Neelix on the topic of what an udox was while she slowly stretched out her neck, trying to release some of the stress in her body.

Then she returned her focus back to Kathryn. Seven was glad that she had not woken up from the sound of the chair falling over. On the other hand it wasn’t a good sign that Kathryn was so deep in sleep for so long. Hopefully it would all be over soon. Seven couldn’t wait to have this real life nightmare far behind them and get back to their normal lives. 

She took Kathryn’s hand back in her own, stroking the skin while trying to banish all thoughts of the Borg from her mind. Instead she thought about all the things she wanted to do with Kathryn when she was better. The meals she was going to cook for her, the holoprograms they would visit, other things they would do together…

“We are ready to begin if you are, Tuvok.” The Doctor said while exiting his office and everyone’s attention peaked, an excited current ran through the air.

Seven couldn’t help but tighten her grip on Kathryn’s hand as the Doctor pressed the hypospray against the neck of the Lieutenant Commander. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and she started to get dizzy again.

But nothing happened... at least nothing they could see with the naked eye. The Doctor, Tom, Melai and Okai were all crowded around the same screen, which displayed a scan of what was happening in Tuvok’s bloodstream. 

Seven was curious but did not trust the strength of her legs for her to stand up and walk over to look at the results herself. She would just have to wait to hear what the others were seeing…

Those moments seemed to stretch on forever. Both B’Elanna and Neelix started pacing the floor while Tuvok remained still on his biobed, patiently waiting for the medical staff to tell him what was happening inside his body.

Then after what seemed like hours, a smile broke through on the faces of the Darursai women and Tom clapped the Doctor on the back. “It is working!”

“Amazing to see it happening for real. The pathogen is systematically being destroyed as the body accepts the probes and the carrier.” Melai’s voice sounded very different from when she had been kneeling at Seven’s feet, asking her for forgiveness for attacking her. Now she was overjoyed at seeing their hard work pay off. 

“The efficiency is truly remarkable. Almost as good as our models.” Okai stated.

Almost as good? What did that mean? Seven wanted to ask but didn’t, as she watched the joy spread throughout the room.

The Doctor finally send word to the Bridge and to Revaik that the first patient was officially being cured from the Blight. Meanwhile, he let Tom administer the cure to his wife and Neelix. 

Seven sat up, expecting Tom to come over to give Kathryn the cure as well but he didn’t. The Doctor caught her questioning look and came over to explain.

“We want to see how the cure is received by B’Elanna first, because her physiology is closest to the Captain’s.” He explained. “The human immune system will respond to the cure one way or the other. An extreme reaction might cause her temperature and heartbeat to rise. Therefore I want to make sure that we do not harm the Captain further as she still is in such a frail state. By waiting to see how the others react… we can adjust the dosage and make sure that we are prepared for any possible side effects.”

Though she understood, Seven couldn’t help but heave a big sigh. More waiting… She had been waiting for so long now. Still if it meant saving Kathryn unnecessary pain or stress, it would be worth it.

The next few hours were probably the longest time B’Elanna had ever sat still in Sick Bay. She seemed to realize how important it was for the Doctor and the Darursai researchers to see her reaction to the cure. Her temperatures did slightly increase but not to such an extent that she got a fever. The effects on her heartbeat and breathing were negligible.

In the meantime, Tuvok’s immune system was already dealing with the remaining nanoprobes, breaking them down without any problems. They were programmed to dissolve after delivering the cure and as a result his white blood cells were removing the traces of the Borg technology and the Darursai’s carrier with ease. 

Finally the Doctor felt confident enough to administer the cure to the Captain. Seven held onto her hand and had to remind herself not to squeeze too hard as she did not want to break any bones.

“She will probably not wake up from this, Seven.” The Doctor told her. “After the pathogen is destroyed her own immune system will deal with the remaining nanoprobes and then the healing can finally begin. I will give her medication to deal with her pneumonia and other symptoms. It is probably even better that she remains asleep, her body still has quite some work to do.”

Seven nodded as she imagined the nanoprobes flowing into Kathryn’s veins, not assimilating her but fighting the Blight pathogen and clearing the way for the Doctor’s treatment. 

“I will ask this just one more time.” The Doctor suddenly said. “Will you not go and regenerate for a bit? I will call you the minute the Captain wakes up. I promise.”

“No, Doctor.” Seven stubbornly refused. “I am staying right here.”

The Doctor nodded and then let her be. 

Sick Bay got quite crowded after that as both Chakotay and Ensign Kim came in to see the cured patients. All members of the away team were to remain in Sick Bay for at least one night so they could be properly observed. Tom and Harry pulled up biobeds for them and stretchers for the helpers as Tom and the Darursai would remain in Sick Bay as well.

Seven accepted a stretcher from Harry with a tired smile and put it right beside Kathryn’s biobed. She was grateful that the others let them be in their own little corner and tried to keep the sounds of their celebration down so they wouldn't disturb the Captain. 

Seven herself had no energy left to join in. She did accept some bread and stew for dinner but did not eat much of it. She didn’t want to admit this but what she really needed was regeneration and neither food nor sleep could substitute for it. As her body started to ache she finally laid down on the stretcher, keeping her eyes open and locked on Kathryn for as long as she could. 

It was almost over… Just a little while longer and she would have her girlfriend back. Just a little while longer…

“Seven, wake up.” The voice was accompanied by a hand shaking her shoulder and even though her whole being shouted at her to ignore it and just go back to sleep, her mind willed herself to wake up. 

“What?” She mumbled, opening her eyes but was unable to see much in the dimmed light.

“The Captain is awake.” The voice belonged to the Doctor and Seven quickly registered that he sounded happy... not worried. 

Then what he had said sunk in… Kathryn was awake. She shot upright, almost knocking into the Doctor as she did so. Scrambling to her feet she quickly found the edge of the biobed to hold onto and then looked down into Kathryn’s face… and was blinded by a beautiful if slightly tired smile.

“Hi.” Kathryn said and that one short word shot straight through Seven like lightning. 

“Kathryn.” Seven sighed in response. “How are you? Are you alright?”

“I feel much better already.” She answered and her voice sounded better, stronger. And this time she was not hallucinating about snow…

Seven looked up at the Doctor and saw relief on his face as well. 

“The nanoprobes have done their job and have been removed. The medication for the symptoms is finally taking effect. Congratulations Captain, you are on the way to recovery.” The Doctor smiled down at her and then quietly walked away, giving them space.

Seven felt so relieved she wanted to cry and that urge got stronger when Kathryn reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, softly tracing her fingers over her face. 

No longer able to resist, Seven leaned in and very gently placed a soft kiss on Kathryn’s lips. She felt Kathryn’s hand move to the back of her neck, keeping her close a little longer as she released her lips. 

“So once again you have saved the day.” Kathryn whispered. 

“What do you mean?” Seven asked her, still lost in the feeling of Kathryn’s lips on her own. 

“Once again we owe our survival to you.” Kathryn answered.

“I didn’t do anything, Kathryn.” Seven said. 

She wanted to explain how she hadn’t even contributed to the research. How she had given up on reading the Darursai’s database. How she had been so paralyzed with fear and anxiety that she had become almost useless and even at times a nuisance to the Doctor. But she couldn’t get the words out.

“Whose nanoprobes delivered the cure then?” Kathryn teased her.

Seven didn’t respond as the images from her nightmare came back to her, her nanoprobes assimilating Kathryn… she had to muster all her remaining self-control as a shudder went through her spine.

“You should drink something and maybe eat something too.” She quickly changed the subject.

She could see that Kathryn had noticed the change that had come over her but she did not press it. Instead she first accepted a glass of water and then allowed Seven to replicate some broth for her. 

Seven carefully put the bowl of hot liquid down on the bedside table before she arranged some pillows so Kathryn could sit up. She saw that her girlfriend was still very weak so she quickly decided to feed her. 

Kathryn smiled as Seven sat down next to her on the biobed and then let her take care of her while the others slept. A peace surrounded them that hadn’t been there for a very long time. 

Even though Kathryn didn’t finish the whole bowl, Seven was still glad that she had at least eaten something. But it had made her tired again so Seven helped her lie back down and covered her gently with the blanket.

“I guess it is not possible for you to join me up here?” Kathryn asked her while she stifled a yawn.

Seven looked around at all the sleeping figures in the room and at the Doctor who was pretending he did not see them. 

“Maybe that is not the best idea.” Seven said even though she really wanted to just pull the blanket over them both and make the rest of the universe disappear. 

“Okay… but just stay close to me…” Kathryn mumbled as she closed her eyes, keeping one hand locked with Seven’s as the other tucked itself beneath her pillow.

Seven used her own free hand to softly stroke her girlfriend’s hair, feeling strangely happy. Kathryn was still recovering, she had to remind herself of that, but at least the worst of it was behind them now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was putting the nightmare in there a bit mean... yes. ;) Hopefully I made it up to you with the other scenes.
> 
> I didn't read this chapter as often as I normally would before posting but I wanted to share this part of the story with you as quickly as possible. I will read it again tomorrow to get at least some of the mistakes out.
> 
> In the meantime let me know what you thought of it!


	14. Chills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

When Seven woke up the next morning she found Kathryn still fast asleep. Like the last few days, Seven’s hearing immediately zoned in on her breathing and heartbeat. They both sounded a lot better which made Seven smile.

She looked around the room and only then did she notice the strange atmosphere in Sick Bay. It was tense again, the celebration of last night forgotten. Melai and Okai were nowhere to be seen which was a bit of a relief to Seven even though she wished she had thanked them last night for their efforts in creating the cure. If thanks were even still in order…

“What happened?” Seven asked the group in general. “Is something wrong with the cure?”

“No, no.” The Doctor quickly assured her. “Everyone is still on the mend or in Tuvok’s case as healthy as ever. However… we have lost contact with the Darursai.”

“How did that happen?” Seven’s confusion rose. “Where are Melai and Okai?”

“They returned to the surface when we couldn’t contact anyone on Revaik.” The Doctor explained. “However, they haven’t been able to reestablish contact and the blackout has been stretching on for almost an hour now.”

“I still say that we should just leave.” B’Elanna continued a discussion that had apparently been going on before Seven woke up. “We are cured. The Captain does not need their help anymore. Plus, who knows what they are doing down there.”

“We can’t just leave. They might need our help.” Neelix countered. 

“With what?” B’Elanna asked him but he didn’t answer.

Seven felt very uneasy, thinking back on the last time she had seen Uzai and Aimar… 

Tuvok decided he needed to get back to the Bridge and as he was, like the Doctor had said, in perfect health there was nothing stopping him. Neelix requested leave to go to the Bridge as well, hoping that he could help as Ambassador. His sneezing had stopped after the Doctor had given him some medication the night before so he quickly got permission to leave. 

“I am going back to Engineering.” B’Elanna said without asking for permission from anyone. “I’ve been working on the modifications to our engines and I want to have them prepped and ready to go, if we need to make a run for it.”

They all left and a very tense silence remained as Tom started to remove the stretchers in the room and the Doctor just kept looking at his screens, hoping perhaps for some sign of the Darursai.

Seven turned her attention back to Kathryn. Her place was here, not on the Bridge, in the Astrometrics Lab or even Engineering. It sounded like there was not much anyone could do anyway but wait… 

When Kathryn’s eyes opened, Seven was very happy to see a healthy glow in them. 

“Good morning.” Seven said softly, not wanting to attract the attention of the Doctor or Tom just yet. 

“Good morning.” Kathryn replied, reaching up a bit and Seven quickly leaning down to give her a kiss. 

Then Kathryn tried to sit up and Seven quickly rearranged the cushions so she would be more comfortable. Those movements did attract the Doctor’s attention and he quickly walked over to them. Tricorder in hand. 

“Good morning, Captain.” He said while he started his examination. “How are you feeling today?”

“Much better, Doctor.” The Captain replied while looking around. “Where are the others?”

“They returned to their duties…” He said, not quite sure what he should share with her in her current condition but she immediately picked up on his tone.

“Duties? Is something going on?” She asked and looked back at Seven.

“I’ll get you some breakfast…” The Doctor quickly took his exit and left the explaining to Seven.

Seven looked down into Kathryn’s gray eyes and could see that the Captain was returning. She didn’t want to worry her too much, afraid that she might just take off to the Bridge as well. Still… she wasn’t good at hiding things from Kathryn either.

“We have lost contact with the Darursai.” She simply told her.

“What do you mean lost contact? Are we still in orbit?” Kathryn asked as she accepted a cup of tea from the Doctor. Apparently he thought she wasn’t ready for coffee just yet.

“We are… but the open channel we maintained has apparently been closed.” Seven shared what she herself had learned only minutes ago. “The two researchers who were still on board transported back to the surface but they haven’t reestablished contact.”

“Very strange. There must be a reason… How much did I miss?” Kathryn asked her, piercing her with her eyes trying to get to the truth. “Did they give you any more trouble because of your history with the Borg?”

Seven looked away. A big mistake as Kathryn knew very well that that was a telltale sign that she was not telling her everything. When she looked back she saw the Captain’s eyebrows raised as a result.

“Not exactly.” Seven sighed. “There was this one researcher called Aimar who asked some questions about my nanoprobes. Apparently he was interested in the possibility of weaponizing them… to not just cure illness but spread it too.”

Seven could see a frown starting to form on Kathryn’s face and she stopped eating the light food the Doctor had brought over.

“You shouldn’t worry about any of this, Kathryn.” Seven quickly said. “You still need to heal. I am sure the blackout is just a misunderstanding and the Bridge crew will have it solved in no time.” 

“Did this Darursai researcher obtain any of your nanoprobes?” Kathryn asked, not letting the topic drop.

“No. The Doctor was very careful about that.” Seven said looking back at the Doctor who was once again at his screens, talking to Tom. “Nothing happened. Really… After Aimar asked his questions, the Doctor contacted Melai who was still back on Revaik at the time. She came back on board with Uzai and they smoothed it all out.”

“If Uzai was involved it can’t have been a minor incident…” Kathryn mumbled, clearly not comforted by Seven’s explanation. 

“Apparently there are different factions of scientists on Revaik who do not always agree with each other. Nothing unusual for a civilization as evolved as theirs.” Seven continued.

“Still… if this blackout has something to do with it, Voyager might get involved in this scientific debate.” Kathryn put down her food, not interested in eating or drinking any more.

Seven was trying to figure out what she could say to Kathryn. She wanted her to relax and not worry about the situation. But her girlfriend was going back to Captain mode and Seven suspected that she was minutes away from hailing the Bridge. 

But then the Bridge hailed them. 

“Chakotay to Seven of Nine.” The Commander’s voice rang through the room.

“Seven here.” She quickly replied.

“There is a communication coming in from Revaik… from Aimar.” Chakotay told her and Seven could see Tom and the Doctor tense up. 

“He says he wants to talk to you and… you alone.” Chakotay continued.

Seven looked back at Kathryn but could see that she was really worried now. Before she could enter the conversation, Seven answered the Commander herself.

“What do you want me to do?” She was unsure of what Voyager’s best strategy was in this situation. Diplomacy was, after all, not her strong suit.

“We have discussed it here on the Bridge.” Chakotay said and Seven was relieved that both Neelix and Tuvok had probably been involved in the decision making. “Considering that it is the only communication we have right now with Revaik… the only way to find out what is happening… we think you should talk to him.”

“Chakotay are you sure that is safe?” Kathryn said while she was struggling to fully sit up. Seven shot her a disapproving look which she ignored.

“Captain! Good to hear your voice again.” Chakotay sounded very surprised. “We don’t see how answering the communication could endanger Voyager or Seven. He said he just wants to talk and we need to find out what is going on.”

Kathryn didn’t respond as her struggles to sit up had caused another coughing fit. Seven wanted to reach out and help her but instead took advantage of Kathryn’s distraction.

“I will answer his hail in the Doctor’s office, Commander.” She said, trying to ignore Kathryn’s gaze. 

“Should I stay with her, Commander?” The Doctor asked agitated. 

“He said he would only talk to Seven and only if she was alone.” Chakotay reminded him.

“I’ll be fine.” Seven quickly assured them all and then, without looking at Kathryn, walked over to the office.

“Seven!” Aimar’s voice rang out in greeting. “How good of you to talk to me. I wasn’t sure that Commander of yours would let you.”

Seven didn’t reply. She had quickly decided that it was probably best for her to say as little as possible. That way she wouldn’t run the risk of involving herself or Voyager in whatever was going on on Revaik.

“I am sorry we have to talk like this.” Aimar continued. “Things have gotten a little tense here on Revaik… not everyone understands that what I want to do is in everyone’s best interest.”

“And what is it you want to do?” Seven asked, quickly getting impatient.

“I want to reconsider the vast potential of your wonderful nanoprobes.” He said. “I don’t have to tell you what they could do. How they could help us.”

“Help you with what exactly?” Seven couldn’t keep the suspicious tone out of her voice.

“With our fight against the Borg of course.” Aimar told her as if she should have realized that by now.

“The Borg?” Seven asked surprised. “I thought you told the Doctor that you wanted to use the nanoprobes to spread an illness.” 

“I do.” Aimar said, clearly puzzled about her confusion. “An illness that would damage the Collective. With your probes we could infect them and if I understood your databases correctly… you have already dealt with some illnesses that could harm the Borg.”

Seven’s mind immediately went to red alert as her thoughts flew to Icheb. Did Aimar know about his genetic code that produced a pathogen that could kill Borg drones? Or did he mean the Vinculum of Species 6339?

“If we could combine your superior nanoprobes with the pathogen from your… Icheb.” Aimar leaned in closer to his screen as if he wanted to get closer to her. Seven’s felt chills run through her body as he said Icheb's name. “Imagine what we could do to the Collective.”

Seven’s mind was racing. What should she do? Should she end the transmission, hail the Bridge and ask them to get them the hell out of there? 

“Come now, Seven.” Aimar said as he could see the panic in her eyes. “Surely you wish to end the Borg as much as I do. I thought you of all people would understand! You have been freed from the Borg and through your own struggle, you have defeated them by reclaiming your heritage! Imagine what it would mean if your nanoprobes would infect the Collective’s mind… not just drones in a single Borg cube but the hive mind itself.”

Then Seven did think about it… remembering the rebellion that had started in Unimatrix Zero... Was this really that different? But she couldn’t think straight. It didn’t help that she was still tired but she also couldn’t help but feel that the rest of the Voyager crew… Chakotay, the Doctor and Kathryn… wouldn’t approve of this. 

“Should the decision not be yours, Seven?” Aimar continued as he saw her waver. “Should you not have the right to take revenge for what they did to you… to your parents… to Icheb?”

“There is no guarantee it would work… the Borg… they adapt so quickly. What you are proposing… I don’t think it is even possible.” Seven said.

“Not yet.” He agreed. “If you would just give me some of your nanoprobes… I could make it work! There is so much potential there and I…” 

Suddenly he turned around and Seven could hear what sounded like someone banging on a door in the background. 

It shook her from her own thoughts and suddenly she remembered where she was. Looking up she could see the Doctor standing on the other side of the window, looking in and looking worried.

“I have to go.” Aimar quickly told her, already standing up. “Please consider my request.”

Then the transmission ended abruptly. Seven didn’t move, trying to make sense of all she had heard.

“Bridge to Seven of Nine.” Chakotay’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “What happened? The transmission was cut off.”

“He had to… go.” Seven replied.

“I am on my way to Sick Bay to hear what he had to say.” Chakotay told her and she was grateful that she would only have to tell her story once.

Before she could stand up, however, the Doctor had already opened the door.

“What did he say?” He asked eagerly. “What happened on Revaik?”

“He didn’t say anything about that…” Seven admitted while she rubbed her temples trying to keep her thoughts together as she walked back into the main room. “Commander Chakotay is on his way here and I would really like to wait for him so I will only have to tell the story once.”

Without really thinking about it she walked back to ‘her’ corner next to Kathryn’s bed. The Captain was still awake and was carefully watching Seven’s movements. However, she did not ask her anything and Seven was grateful for that.

When the Sick Bay doors opened not just Chakotay walked in but Tuvok and Neelix followed in his wake. After quickly greeting the Captain, Chakotay turned to Seven.

She took a deep breath and then told them everything Aimar had said. Even if she had wanted to, she didn’t have the energy to keep any of the information a secret. Besides, she really needed to hear what the others thought as she had no clue yet what to make of it all herself.

“I didn’t expect him to target the Borg with the weaponized probes.” Chakotay said when she finished telling her story. 

“Does it matter?” The Doctor asked him. “A weapon is a weapon, no matter who it is aimed at. We are talking about a weapon of mass destruction with incredible power. Wiping out an entire species.”

“The Borg aren’t a species.” Seven said, surprising everyone by raising her voice. “That makes it… different.”

“Does it?” The Doctor asked her. 

“Yes.” She said without hesitation, looking around the room for support but she only saw uncertain faces. 

On instinct she looked to Kathryn but the Captain didn’t look in any condition to join the discussion. Her gray eyes remained locked on Seven and Seven desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.

“How is this different from using a biological weapon on Species 8472?” Seven asked them. “The Borg, like them, are a threat to the whole galaxy… they are a destructive force. A force the Federation is at war with. If Aimar can create this weapon… why shouldn’t we let him?”

“We don’t know enough about him. I don’t like the fact that we are unable to reach anyone else on Revaik. You said the transmission ended abruptly?” Chakotay asked her, moving the discussion away from ethics to more practical matters. “Do you think that means that there might be resistance against him on Revaik?”

“I don’t know.” Seven said. “Maybe.”

“The decision might not even be ours to make.” Tuvok joined in. “If there is a discussion or even a fight about this on Revaik… we should find out what the Caesar thinks first. If needed, we can reconsider Aimar’s request then.”

“Giving him Seven’s nanoprobes?” The Doctor said skeptically. “What is to stop him from making a weapon to attack his opponents with them first? We can’t trust anyone else with the probes. They are too powerful to just give away.”

Seven started to feel dizzy again and all the talk about her probes made her highly uncomfortable. She felt a buzzing in her veins, as if the probes were letting her know that they were still there… holding power to heal but also power to destroy. Her dizziness quickly turned to nausea. 

“Tuvok is right. We can’t make a decision about this before we know what is going on down there.” Chakotay quickly ended the discussion. 

He briefly glanced at the Captain as if he wanted or expected her to take command but she remained silent. Seven saw that the discussion had really tired Kathryn out and hoped that she would soon get some rest again.

“We will remain in orbit but we will move to yellow alert.” Chakotay decided. “Then we wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think by leaving a comment!


	15. Flow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> This story is getting close to its end, which makes the writing easier, hence the faster updates.

Kathryn watched as Chakotay, Neelix and Tuvok left for the Bridge again. The Captain inside of her wanted to go with them but her body just wanted to go back to sleep. She really wished she was back in her quarters, in her own bed.

“Seven, you can’t seriously be considering this?” The Doctor asked Seven who had sat down in the chair next to Kathryn’s bed again. 

“Let’s not discuss this further, Doctor.” Seven sighed. “Like the Commander said, we just have to wait and see what happens next.”

The Doctor walked away after shooting Kathryn a look to talk some sense into Seven but Kathryn knew better than that. Seven looked exhausted and it was no use to press the issue any further while she was like this. 

“You were very quiet.” Seven said in a soft voice.

“I didn’t have the energy to get mixed up into it.” Kathryn admitted. “I also think I missed too much in the past few days to really know what is happening right now.”

Seven didn’t respond. Kathryn knew she probably wanted her to agree with her on the whole nanoprobes issue but she couldn’t. Truth be told, she had to agree with the Doctor and it was also true that she really did not have the energy to consider an issue that might not be in their hands. Once it was… she would talk to Seven about it.

Thankfully Seven had apparently reached the same conclusion and she went back to nursing Kathryn. She offered to read to her, to get her more tea, water or more food.

She choose to have Seven read to her again as it would hopefully take Seven’s mind of the Darursai as well. It certainly helped her relax as she listened to Seven’s voice as she read the same passages that she had read days ago. This time, however, Kathryn could focus on the storyline even though she interrupted Seven with her coughing quite often.

“The coughing is a good sign, Captain.” The Doctor said as he came by to check on her after an hour of giving them space. “It means your lungs are getting better even though it might be painful.”

“It is not that bad.” Kathryn told him but she looked at Seven as she said it. Every time her coughing reached a painful point she could see her girlfriend cringe as if she could feel the pain in her ribs herself.

Just when the Doctor was about to give her some more medication, a hail from the Bridge came in. 

“The Darursai government has reached out again.” Chakotay explained. “Apparently there has been a bit of a revolt… led by Aimar.” 

The Doctor shot Seven an I-told-you-so-look but Seven ignored him.

“The situation is under control now and Uzai has asked permission to come aboard again.” Chakotay continued. “I will meet him in the Transporter Room and then accompany him to Sick Bay.”

Kathryn was relieved to hear that things had apparently calmed down enough for the Caesar to visit them in person. She quickly tried to sit up again so she wouldn’t appear too weak. As Seven helped her with her pillows she smiled at her.

“Sounds like everything will be fine.” Kathryn told her. 

Seven didn’t say anything but did return her smile. Kathryn worried about her. The dark circles under her eyes were worrisome enough but there was also a strange look in Seven’s blue eyes. A look Kathryn couldn’t read.

“Captain Janeway, it is so good to see you awake again.” Uzai said right after the Sick Bay doors opened. He was accompanied by Chakotay, Neelix and Melai who carried a chest with beautiful decorations on its sides. 

“You look like you are on the road to recovery.” Uzai continued as he reached her bedside. “I am very happy and I have to admit relieved. This visit has turned out more adventurous than we had planned.”

“Thank you, Uzai.” Kathryn said with a nod. “How are things back on Revaik? If it is not too much to ask, we would like to know what happened.”

“Of course and we do owe you an explanation.” Uzai answered. “Commander Chakotay has told me that Aimar reached out to you during his… riot. I am so sorry about that. He took control of our Science Center aided by the people who support his ideas. He also had a ship standing by, ready to depart as soon as he acquired what he needed. He knew he could not continue his research on Revaik once he took this path.”

Kathryn saw Seven twitch in her seat. She hadn’t stood up when the Caesar came in and to Kathryn that was a clear sign of how tired she was.

“We do not condone Aimar’s ideas even though he really believes they are in the people’s best interest.” Uzai turned to Seven. “I am so sorry he dragged you into this. He has been taken into custody for occupying the Science Center and he will not bother you again.”

“I didn’t feel bothered exactly…” Seven answered him. “His plan… it sounded impossible but I am not opposed to an attack on the Borg.”

Uzai looked surprised at her answer and turned to look at the Captain first and then to the Doctor.

“Like I said I really think Aimar acted out of good intentions but… we do not condone weapons of that scale.” Uzai explained. “The science he was trying to achieve holds a very deadly power. If it would fall into the wrongs hands or be used against innocent people, the results would be disastrous. The Darursai Science Center has always put the saving of lives first, not the ending of them. Even if we would only use it against the Borg… would we be any better than the Collective?”

Kathryn thought he explained that very well but she could see that Seven did not wholeheartedly agree with him. However, she did not press it any further and Kathryn was glad that her lessons about diplomacy had paid off at least a little.

“We have deleted all the information about the nanoprobes from our database.” Uzai told the Doctor. “Actually, all the information you shared with us, the medical history of your crew members and your treatments have all been removed. We considered keeping the knowledge of your medication but just to be save we have erased everything.”

The Doctor looked very relieved to hear that and thanked the Caesar for this decision. 

“Would you like for us to do the same with the information we have gathered from your databases?” Chakotay asked.

“No. The whole point of this mission was so that you would learn from our engineering and if any information from our other databases can help you get home faster or treat patients, we would be very happy.” Uzai said. “Besides, as I said our science is focused on restoration and evolution. We see no harm in sharing this knowledge. All in all this visit has been very… interesting for us and we have learned a lot from you that will help us grow as a people. It is my hope that we will be more welcoming to strangers in the future.”

“Can I ask what you did with the plant from your botanical garden that carried the pathogen of the Blight?” The Doctor asked, probably concerned what future guests might find on Revaik.

“We have destroyed most of its species.” Melai answered him. “Those that remained have been moved to the Science Center where our scientists will continue to study the Blight and hopefully, one day, we will be able to remove the pathogen from its pollen.”

“Now that everything seems to be taken care of and that you are on the mend again, Captain,” Uzai turned back to her. “we wondered if it might be a good time for Voyager to continue its journey.”

“I agree, Uzai.” Kathryn smiled at him.

“Of course you will always be welcome in Darursai space and we will be your ally in any way we can.” Uzai assured them. “But it might be safer for all if you would continue your journey. We don’t yet know how many supporters Aimar had and we don’t want to run any risks. Besides you must be eager to continue your journey.”

After both Chakotay and Kathryn agreed to move on, Seven watched as Melai and Uzai said their goodbyes. 

She had been surprised at her own disappointment in hearing that Aimar had been arrested. A part of her had really wanted to talk to him some more about using her nanoprobes in the fight against the Borg. Still Uzai had made some good points and she could tell that Kathryn and especially the Doctor agreed with him.

Before Melai said her goodbyes to the Doctor and Neelix, she handed Uzai the chest and to Seven’s surprise, he turned to her.

“Seven, again I am sorry about the way my people responded to you.” Uzai said to her and Seven quickly glanced at Kathryn and saw with relief that she was listening to their conversation. This felt like something that required skills in diplomacy. 

“First we attacked you without truly knowing you and then one of us asked you for your nanoprobes for the creation of a weapon…” Uzai hesitated as he put the chest on the table next to Kathryn’s books. “I have already asked your forgiveness once and I would like to do it again but I would also like to thank you.”

Thank her? Seven didn’t know what to say, she really hadn’t done anything in the fight against the Blight. 

“You have changed my perception of the Borg.” Uzai explained. “I was so filled with anger and pure hatred… now I know that even the drones of the Borg can change. Therefore, I would like to give you this gift.”

He then opened the decorated chest and inside it was a beautiful device covered in gold and precious gems. Uzai picked it up and showed it to her.

“This was my son’s telescope. Isai. He loved looking at the stars, like you. It was given to him by my father who got it from his grandfather.” Uzai’s voice trembled with emotion. “I hope that you will find a place for it when you return to Earth so that both you and your Icheb can look at Earth’s stars and remember us… remember him.”

Seven had frozen. She could feel her heart hammering away in her chest, a blush crept up into her cheeks and she tried desperately to control her breathing so she could say something.

“I can’t accept this…” She finally said but it came out as a whisper. 

“Please do. It would mean so much to me to know that you have this.” Uzai pleaded with her. “Isai would want you to have it.”

Seven desperately looked to Kathryn for some help. Kathryn looked surprised as well but just nodded at her as if to say that she should just accept the gift. But how could she?

Uzai put the telescope back into its chest and closed the distance between them in two short steps. He took both of her hands into his own, both her Borg and human hand.

“If I had met my son again before I met you… I would not have welcomed him home, even if he had been freed from the Collective. I… don’t really want to think about what I would have done.” Uzai tried to explain. “But now… I know the chances are very slim that I will ever see him again in this lifetime but if I do… I will think of you and Icheb and I will do everything I can to bring him back to us.”

Seven could feel herself start to tremble and she clutched his hands into her own. Blinking furiously she refused to let the tears that had welled up in her eyes fall.

Looking up into his dark eyes, she couldn’t speak but she did nod. Telling him that she would accept his gift.

He smiled, gave her hands one final squeeze and then turned away.

Seven kept her eyes on him as he said goodbye to Kathryn and the Doctor after which he walked out of Sick Bay with Chakotay, Neelix and Melai. Trying to take deep breaths she just stared at the doors, unable to look the others in the eyes. 

Then in her peripheral vision she saw Kathryn start to move, throwing back the blanket as if she wanted to stand up.

“What are you doing?” Seven asked as she quickly walked over to her to stop her.

“I just…” Kathryn tried to explain as she refused to lie back down. “I just wanted to give you a hug.”

Seven had to close her eyes at that but then leaned into Kathryn’s shoulder. The hug was a bit awkward as Kathryn was half sitting, half lying down but it was a great comfort all the same.

Hiding her face in Kathryn’s neck she slowly breathed in her familiar scent, letting it calm her down as she finally let the tears flow. She didn’t have the energy to hold them in any longer and she also didn’t care if Tom or the Doctor saw her cry.

Seven finally pulled back as a ship wide announcement told them that they were leaving Revaik. She shook her head briefly and then rearranged the cushions again and without debate gently pushed Kathryn back down on the bed.

Kathryn easily surrendered but she did reach up her hands to wipe some of the tears from Seven’s cheeks. 

“It is a beautiful telescope.” She said softly and Seven looked back at the chest. Walking over to it, she gently picked the telescope up and brought it back so that Kathryn could take a closer look.

“I just realized that if I had agreed to work with Aimar… I would have helped destroy Uzai’s son.” Seven whispered. “But he is Borg now… So in a way he is already gone. Uzai will never get him back.”

“Never say never, Seven.” Kathryn answered her. “We got you back.”

Seven couldn’t find words to respond to that. The chances of the young prince coming back home to his people were terribly small but then she thought back to her friends from Unimatrix Zero… they had all found a way back to a life that they wanted to lead. 

Perhaps annihilation of the Borg wasn’t the answer after all… restoration was the best way to resist not destruction.

Seven heaved a big sigh and then turned to the Doctor who had returned to finally give Kathryn her medication.

“I am sorry, Doctor.” Seven told him. “You were right.”

“It’s alright, Seven.” He softly told her. “It is all… very complicated.”

She nodded. Complicated might just be the right word for it. She stood up to place the telescope back in its chest and gently closed the lid. She would show it to Icheb soon.

“Will this put me back to sleep, Doctor?” Kathryn asked him before he could put the hypospray to her neck.

“It probably will. There are some painkillers in here that can help with sleep.” He answered.

“Then can you give us a moment, please?” She asked. He looked surprised but then gave her a nod and walked away again.

“Kathryn?” Seven sat back down in her chair and looked at her girlfriend in concern.

Kathryn reached out her hand and waited for Seven to take it. Then she looked at their joined fingers for a while before looking up into her blue eyes.

“We have left Revaik and I am getting better. I think it is time for you to go regenerate.” Kathryn told her.

Seven blinked at her in surprise. “I promised myself that I would only leave Sick Bay if you could leave too. I have already broken that promise once.”

“I know, darling.” Kathryn said as she gently moved her finger over Seven’s skin. “But you really need to take care of yourself now. Besides when I finally leave Sick Bay, I want you to come with me to my quarters.”

Seven was touched at that last statement and knew she was right. Her emotional breakdown over the telescope had proven how tired she really was. Her body hurt from all the stress she had endured in the past days and she knew her nanoprobe count still hadn’t recovered from her donation.

She pulled her hand away from Kathryn and covered her face in both hands, rubbing her eyes and skin to get rid of some of the weariness.

“Okay.” She simply said as she looked back into Kathryn’s gray eyes.

Kathryn smiled at her and Seven couldn’t help but lean in and kiss her again. Putting her forehead on Kathryn’s for a moment they just breathed in the same air and then she pulled away.

Only after Kathryn had fallen back asleep did Seven stand up. Looking at the chest she left it where it was and then walked out of Sick Bay into the corridors of Voyager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think as we say goodbye to the Darursai and Revaik.
> 
> I still have some chapters and ideas for this one so stay tuned.


	16. Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming back for another chapter!

Seven stood in front of her alcove with her eyes closed, taking deep calming breaths while also trying to calm her thoughts.

Kathryn was getting better. The Blight pathogen was gone and the symptoms would disappear soon as the Doctor was more than capable to treat those. Before long, Kathryn would be able to leave Sick Bay and then everything would go back to the way it was before her away mission.

They had left Revaik… they were still travelling through Darursai space but they had left Revaik behind them, including Aimar and his plans. There was no point on dwelling what might have happened. It was all over.

All she had to do now was regenerate while Kathryn slept safely back in Sick Bay. Her own body needed the rest, her nanoprobes needed to recharge and be replenished. 

The only way that would happen was if she would just regenerate… her body needed it as neither sleep nor food were enough at this point, no matter how much she wished it would be.

She took one last deep breath, holding it for ten seconds and then letting it out through her mouth. Then, while trying to keep her mind clear of any thoughts on the Borg or the implants and nanoprobes in her own body, she stepped into the alcove and let the regeneration start.

Even though Kathryn felt a lot better now that her body was responding to the medication, she found that she could not sleep through the night. She kept waking up, reaching out for Seven and then remembering that she was in Sick Bay and that Seven was all the way down in the Cargo Bay. 

Sighing and turning she tried to get back to sleep, suppressing her coughs as much as possible because her ribs still hurt. 

Trying to calm herself she went through their current situation. This was something she had done for years, going over the ship’s condition and listing whatever needed to be done but also stressing what went well.

They had left Revaik. Of course that had always been the plan but after the whole Aimar business, Kathryn couldn’t help but feel an immense relief that their newly improved engines were making sure that they were leaving the Darursai’s home world far behind them.

She had not liked the change that had come over Seven when she had told them what the Darursai scientist had proposed. Of course Kathryn understood on some level. She herself had made it no secret that she wanted the Borg destroyed, not in the least for everything they had done to her Seven.

But Seven had been willing to give this man her nanoprobes, without fully knowing what he would do with them. Had she become so desperate for revenge? 

In the past, Seven had always had mixed feelings about the Borg. Hating them for what they had done to her and her parents but also admiring the technology and efficiency of the Collective as well as the closeness of the hive mind. When she first came aboard Voyager she had found it hard to cope with the chaotic crew of individuals from the Alpha Quadrant. 

But ever since her memory loss in which she had lost the memory of the Collective, something had changed. She had become more desperate, more hateful. This recent willingness to create a biological weapon with a stranger just for the off change that it might annihilate the Collective, really worried Kathryn.

Rolling to her back, Kathryn let out a big sigh despite the soreness in her lungs. Her plan to go over the ship’s condition had failed as her mind had immediately dragged her back to her worries about Seven. 

There was nothing she could do for her now, Kathryn told herself as she demonstratively closed her eyes. Tomorrow things would be different. 

She might get released from Sick Bay, at least that was listed as her own top priority. Seven would have regenerated and perhaps it would have eased some of her own turmoil, or at least given her some rest. 

Perhaps Kathryn would see that glitter of joy in those stunning blue eyes again, like sunlight glittering off a beautiful tropical ocean. Then they would go back to her quarters and she would just let herself sick right into that ocean, getting lost in the waves while she held Seven in her arms…

Thinking about Seven in that way, she felt herself sink back into a sleep filled with dreams of the ocean, beaches, sunlight and of course, Seven.

Seven’s eyes immediately went to Kathryn’s biobed when the Sick Bay doors opened, seeing that her girlfriend was still asleep.

“Good morning, Seven.” The Doctor greeted her. “How was your regeneration? I had not expected you to be back so soon.”

“It was fine but no, I did not complete a full cycle.” Seven answered him without looking him in the eyes. 

Instead she walked over to Kathryn’s bedside to take a closer look at her. Kathryn looked peaceful… very peaceful. There was even a small smile on her lips that Seven couldn’t help but return it even though Kathryn couldn’t see her. 

“How was she during the night?” Seven asked the Doctor who had remained at his station.

“She was a bit restless after the first few hours, she kept tossing and turning and I was just about to ask her if she wanted some more medication to help her sleep, when she fell into a deep REM sleep.” He told her. “She has been asleep ever since and her fever is finally gone.”

Seven quickly walked over to his screens and saw that he was right. Kathryn’s temperature had been down and steady for hours. Her heartbeat and breathing both looked strong and healthy as well.

Happy that Kathryn was doing well, Seven walked back to the biobed and sat down in the chair that was still there. Waiting for her to wake up and trying to quiet the voices in her own head.

During her regeneration she had had nightmares. This did not happen often but when it did, they were a lot more terrifying than nightmares she had while she was sleeping.

As always, her nightmares had been about the Borg. But this time she had been the one with all the power. She had somehow completed Aimar’s research on her own and had combined her nanoprobes with Icheb’s pathogen. In her dream she walked through a Borg Cube, infecting every drone she could find.

But as she looked back on her victims she saw that she knew them… first her parents, then Icheb and the other children they had rescued from the Borg. Then a young man who looked like a younger version of Uzai. 

Suddenly she had not been on a cube anymore. Instead she was stalking the corridors of Voyager. Still she went on with her mission, sticking her assimilation tubes into every crew member she met, infecting and killing them on the spot. 

She had worked her way through the decks. B’Elanna and Tom, Neelix and Naomi, Harry and Chakotay. Until finally she had reached the Captain’s quarters…

There was Kathryn, begging her to stop. Kathryn on her knees crying for her to remember who she was… and then finally Kathryn dying in her arms.

After that she still hadn't woken up. Normally the shock of the horrors of her nightmares were enough to end her regeneration and wake her. But not this time… this time the nightmare continued. 

She had sat on the floor, cradling Kathryn in her arms while a strange sense of euphoria had taken over. She had been smiling and then she had started to laugh. A long hysterical laugh that seemed to go on with no end.

Then, finally, the part of her mind that knew it was a nightmare had wrenched her free of the alcove, hurting her spinal implant in the progress. She had fallen onto her knees on the platform and she had thrown up.

For a while she had just stayed down on the floor, just like in her dream. She had let herself cry, hoping that no one would walk into the Cargo Bay and find her like that. 

After that it was impossible to even think about regeneration. She had cleaned up the floor and then checked on her spinal implant, repairing it as best as she could. She had drank some water and then had just sat down on the steps of the platform, calming herself down as best as she could before returning to Sick Bay.

Seven wanted to take Kathryn’s hand in her own, to feel her skin and her pulse. But she didn’t, as she didn’t want to wake her up. Kathryn looked like she was having much better dreams than she had had. 

She was glad that the Doctor didn’t ask her anymore questions about her regeneration and he apparently didn’t notice anything different about her. After a few hours he asked her if she wanted some breakfast. She lied and told him she had already taken a nutritional drink in the Cargo Bay. 

He did not seem very impressed with her answer but before he could respond, Kathryn woke up.

Kathryn wasn’t sure what had woken her but somehow she had thought she had heard Seven’s voice. Blinking her eyes open, they immediately found the blue eyes she had been dreaming about.

“Hi.” Seven whispered to her as a smile appeared to light up those eyes.

“Hi.” She mumbled back, returning her smile while reaching out her hand and taking Seven’s hand into her own.

“Good morning, Captain.” The Doctor broke in a little awkwardly. 

“Good morning, Doctor.” Kathryn turned to him and gave him a smile as well. “I don’t know what drugs you gave me but I slept wonderfully.”

“That is very good to hear, your body needed it.” He told her. “Your fever has broken and all your vital signs are improving.”

Kathryn sat up at this news which caused her to start coughing again. The cough was different though. It did not hurt as much and she could still breathe afterwards. 

“Of course you still have some healing to do.” The Doctor said with a smile after she had stopped.

“But… could I do that in my quarters?” Kathryn asked him. The question came out too much like a plea and she couldn’t remember the arguments she had listed in her head during the night as to why it would be good for her to leave Sick Bay.

The Doctor seemed to understand though and he shot Seven a long look that Kathryn did not totally understand.

“I understand you want to leave Sick Bay, Captain.” He told her. “But I still think you need to be observed in case your symptoms suddenly get worse again. You would also need your medication from time to time.”

“I could keep an eye on her, Doctor.” Seven told him as she almost bounced up into her chair.

Kathryn was glad Seven jumped in and was on her side in this. Having Seven take care of her was one of the arguments she had wanted to present to the Doctor and the thought of Seven as her private nurse… was something she didn’t mind at all.

“Are you sure you feel up to that?” He asked Seven and Kathryn frowned in surprise. Then she really looked at her girlfriend and noticed that she did not look as rested as she should have after a night of regeneration.

“Of course.” Seven said, her voice almost turning into a growl as her eyes narrowed at the Doctor. 

“Well… I guess I could give you your medication when you come in for checkups or if need be I could stop by your quarters.” The Doctor turned back to the Captain. 

“I promise I’ll be good, Doctor.” Kathryn told him, already scooting over to the edge of the bed, eager to get going.

“At least let me give you a last examination before you leave. I was going to give you a hypospray anyway.” The Doctor placed his hand on her shoulder, restraining her enthusiasm. 

“I will get your things back to your quarters and then come back for you.” Seven told her and Kathryn was glad to see real happiness shining in Seven’s eyes. 

While she let the Doctor perform his scans, she watched as Seven carefully gathered all of her things in her arms, to take them back again in one go. Then Seven turned around to give her a wink while she backed out of the doors of Sick Bay.

Kathryn let out a long sigh watching Seven disappear. As she turned her attention back to the Doctor, she saw he had raised his eyebrows at her and there was a grin on his face. She felt her cheeks burn for a moment but quickly distracted him from her juvenile reaction to her girlfriend.

“She did regenerate, didn’t she?” She asked him.

“She said she did. She did not share any details but I don’t think it went very well.” He answered. 

Kathryn’s felt her high spirits sink. “This whole Darursai adventure has been a bit hard on her.” 

“She will be alright. She is still growing and evolving, much like her nanoprobes.” The Doctor reassured her. “I have been told it is a painful process.”

He smiled at her, knowing that as a hologram he would never fully understand what it meant to change as an individual. At least not in the way Seven was right now. 

“What comforts me is knowing that you both have each other.” He said while he stored away all the scanners and hyposprays. “She will look after you while you recover and lead this ship back to the Alpha Quadrant while you will take care of her while she rediscovers her humanity and grows as an individual.”

Kathryn had to blink a few times at that description of their relationship. Of course she knew that she and Seven kept each other balanced in a beautiful way… but she hadn’t realized it was so apparent to others as well.

“Now, I will keep you to your promise, Captain.” The Doctor continued, all businesslike again. “You will have to behave like a good patient, even though I know that is a bit of a challenge to you. Just remember that I have the authority to put you back in here again.”

“Yes, Doctor. I’ll remember.” She dutifully replied. She knew she was a bad patient but for now she just wanted to get back to her quarters with Seven. For the first time while leaving Sick Bay, she felt no desire to get back to the Bridge at all.

Then the Sick Bay doors opened again and Seven was back. Kathryn briefly wondered if she had ran back there because she was back so soon but all of her thoughts disappeared as she saw the eager look on Seven’s face. 

“I will call you whenever I need you back here for a checkup or before I will come over for a house call.” The Doctor told the Captain and she was grateful that he would at least call ahead before appearing in her quarters…

Then to her surprise he turned to Seven. “Good luck, Seven.”

Seven gave a short chuckle and then held out her arm to her. “I guess you want to transport back to your quarters or would you like to try to walk?”

Looking down, Kathryn noticed she was still in her pajamas and that she was in dire need of a shower. “Transporter sounds good.”

Then using her Captain’s authorization, she whisked them both away from Sick Bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> I have at least one more chapter left for this story. Not entirely sure yet if my remaining plans fit into just one chapter but the end is drawing near. Either way, I have 3 more stories, 3 more interludes and an epilogue planned for this series so stay tuned regardless. ;)


	17. Bath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!
> 
> Just like with Suppressive Fire, I should not have made any predictions as to how many chapters are left. ;) I got lost in the fluffiness of Seven taking care of Kathryn... combining some ideas I had before I started this story with the current story arc. So suffice it to say, is not over yet. :)

After they rematerialized in the Captain’s quarters, Seven wanted to steer Kathryn straight into her bedroom. However, the Captain had other plans as she threw her arms around her girlfriend.

Seven leaned into the hug, making sure that she kept her weight off the other woman who was still recovering after all. But feeling her Kathryn’s arms around her again while they stood in a room without anyone’s eyes on them, felt pretty good. 

After a few minutes she leaned back so that she could look into Kathryn’s face. Softly stroking her hand through her hair she leaned back in but this time for a kiss. She gently grazed her lips across Kathryn’s, making sure to keep it light but Kathryn quickly started to lean into the kiss as if she wanted to deepen it.

Seven realized she would have to be the responsible one in the coming days…

“Kathryn…” She warned her. “Let’s get you back into bed.”

“Okay.” Kathryn replied but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes and Seven knew she had misunderstood her words. But she let it slide as she was happy that they were finally moving into the bedroom. 

After Kathryn got under the covers, Seven proceeded to tuck her in and made no move to get into the bed with her. 

“What do you think you are doing?” Kathryn asked her with an adorable pout on her face.

Seven had to laugh at that. “Kathryn, please. You are still recovering. There will be plenty of time for… all of that later.”

“I don’t know what you are implying.” Kathryn played innocent. “I just want you to get in here and hold me."

Seven looked down in her gray eyes and knew she would not be able to resist. Breakfast would have to wait a little while longer.

Walking around the bed she laid down on top of the covers but did open up her arms so Kathryn could snuggle in close.

Seven had to admit it felt very, very good. She closed her eyes to heighten her other senses. 

Her nose was filled with the familiar smells of the Captain’s quarters and she bend down her head so she could breath in the scent of Kathryn’s hair as well. 

Her hands were stroking Kathryn’s back and winding themselves in her soft hair. Her lips sparked as they placed kisses all over Kathryn’s face.

They just stayed like that for a while, breathing in each other and softly moving their hands across each other’s arms and back. 

But then Kathryn started to cough again and Seven pulled back, which earned her a groan from her girlfriend.

“I am not going anywhere, I promise.” Seven comforted her. “I am just going to get you something to drink and eat. What would you like?”

“Coffee.” Kathryn said without hesitation.

“And?” Seven chuckled.

“Surprise me.” Kathryn mumbled as she settled back into her pillow, which had gotten a fresh pillowcase.

Seven quickly went over to the replicator to get a small cup of coffee, some herbal tea with honey and ginger, yoghurt with fruit and finally some banana pancakes. She knew it was probably too much for Kathryn right now but she wanted her to have options and she would help with the eating.

Her nausea had disappeared the moment they got back to Kathryn’s quarters and even though her regeneration had been plagued with nightmares, her implants and nanoprobes had gotten what they needed albeit she did not finish a whole cycle. All in all, she did feel good and she was more than ready to take care of Kathryn. Whatever the Doctor might think.

When she got back to the bedroom she was a bit surprised that Kathryn was already sitting up in the bed, smiling and eagerly awaiting her return. Seven returned her smile as she gently put the tray across the Captain’s lap. 

“This all looks very nutritious and healthy.” Kathryn teased her, eyeing the small cup of coffee.

“Once again… you _are_ still a patient and I don’t think many people would call pancakes healthy.” Seven countered playfully as she pulled up a chair to sit down.

“I am just teasing you. Thank you.” Kathryn said as she started out with the coffee.

Seven watched her for a moment, wondering if this might be the right time to ask her or if she should wait for her to finish eating…

“What’s on your mind, Seven?” Kathryn asked her between bites of her pancakes. 

Seven should have known, of course Kathryn saw right through her. “I have been thinking… I have an isolinear chip for a call to the Alpha Quadrant for this afternoon. I thought it might be a good idea to call your mother.”

Kathryn put down her fork and looked up in surprise. “My mother?”

“Yes. We haven’t spoken to her in a while and we haven’t send her any news about your illness yet. I think she would like to know what is going on, don’t you?” Seven hesitated, thinking she might have overstepped.

“I guess so.” Kathryn answered.

“If you want to wait until you can talk to her yourself, I understand.” Seven quickly said. “It is just that with so many crew members talking with people back home… news of our adventures with the Darursai and your illness might already be spreading on Earth.”

“I didn’t think about that.” Kathryn frowned. “You are right, you should talk to her. But... didn’t you want to use your chip to talk to someone else?”

“I was planning on giving it away, actually.” Seven assured her. “Besides, I like talking to your mother.”

Kathryn smiled as she watched Seven take a bite of the pancakes too. It was so sweet that she wanted to use her chip to talk to her mom. 

Kathryn hadn’t thought about how the news of her illness would be received back home. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that they were actually communicating with Earth even though they were still stuck in the Delta Quadrant. 

In a way, things had been easier before Project Watson. There had been no families and no Starfleet watching over their shoulders. Now, everything Voyager did or did not do was discussed thoroughly through calls with family members and Starfleet colleagues. 

The monthly data streams showed that Voyager had almost gained some sort of soap opera status, with people following their every move.

But there were upsides as well. One of the more positive consequences was that Seven had been reconnecting with the Alpha Quadrant. She had been talking with her aunt, her only living family member back on Earth. She had been approached by several research institutions about her future in science. Even though she kept most of them at bay for now, it was nice to know that Seven was starting to imagine a future on Earth…

A future that included the Janeway family. Her mother had gotten to know Seven pretty well, first through Kathryn’s own letters and then Seven had started to correspond with her herself. When Kathryn had told her mother that they were dating she had been over the moon. Of course she had to tell Kathryn that she had known for a long time that they were both in love with each other… but underneath all of that, Kathryn could sense that her mother and sister both really liked Seven. 

Suddenly Kathryn noticed that Seven was looking at her with a strange expression on her face.

“Did I make you feel homesick?” She asked in a soft voice.

“What? O, no.” Kathryn quickly answered. “I was just thinking about you and my mother. How well you get along with each other.”

“She is very easy to get along with.” Seven smiled. “Besides we both love you, so that helps.”

Kathryn’s heart still skipped a beat every time Seven just bluntly threw out an admission of love like that. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that this brilliant young woman really loved her. 

“After you have finished your breakfast, maybe you can write a letter to your mother.” Seven continued. “We should receive another data stream tomorrow which means we will be able to send our replies within the next seventeen hours. I am sure she would like to hear from you personally after I tell her about you falling ill.”

“Make sure you stress that I am fine now.” Kathryn quickly told her, already anticipating a lecture in her mother’s next letter. “Maybe don’t share all the details about the Blight… just keep it casual.”

Seven looked at her with a disapproving look. “I am not going to lie to your mother, Kathryn. But I will make sure that she doesn’t worry too much.”

“I guess it would work against me if I would join you for the call.” Kathryn said as she tried to look down at herself. She didn’t even want to know what her hair looked like.

“It probably would.” Seven admitted while biting her lower lip, distracting Kathryn for a moment.

“How about before I leave for the call and before you write that letter, I draw you a nice bath and get you into some clean pajamas.” Seven said.

“That sounds perfect, Nurse.” Kathryn replied while reaching out her hand to touch Seven’s face.

Seven helped Kathryn out of her clothes and into the sonic shower before she gently helped her into her tub. She had filled it with hot water and a replicated eucalyptus bath oil that was supposed to help with breathing problems. 

The undressing and the shower had already tired Kathryn out. Even though she would never admit it, Seven noticed. So she stayed by her side while she was in the bath, kneeling down on the floor next to it and just gently rubbing the suds over Kathryn’s arms, shoulders, chest and neck. 

Kathryn had laid down her head on the cushion on the edge of the tub and just stared at her with glazed eyes.

“This is so much better than Sick Bay.” She grinned at Seven.

“I agree.” Seven replied. “And I am so relieved that you are feeling better. I really thought… when we could not find a cure for the Blight… I thought…”

She choked up, surprising herself. The mood had been so relaxed and even playful, now she was ruining the moment with her emotions.

But Kathryn reached out a wet soapy hand and just softly stroked her cheek. “I know.”

Seven smiled at her. “It is scary sometimes. How quickly everything could go wrong. How one little pathogen could just take you away from me and there would be nothing I could do about it…”

Kathryn didn’t reply but kept her eyes locked on hers.

“It almost makes me want to keep you in that quarantine field in Sick Bay.” Seven admitted. “Human life… it is so fragile.”

“Are you calling me weak?” Kathryn asked her with a small smile on her face.

“No, you are very strong.” Seven assured her while placing a kiss on her hand. “But you are also very precious and I… I can’t imagine living without you.”

“You might have to one day.” Kathryn told her, all serious again. “Not even because of an illness or because of a fight or accident. But because… I am a lot older than you. Even if we survive everything and grow old together… chances are very high that I would go first.”

Seven could not respond to that as the now familiar fear of losing Kathryn rose up in her throat again. She ducked down her head to look at the floor, trying to hide the turmoil of emotions inside of her.

“But we can’t let that stand in our way.” Kathryn said while lifting Seven’s chin back up. “We can’t let the fear of death stand in the way of living our lives together. Death is inevitable and we have very little control over it. That is just a fact we have to accept.”

“Or we could just make a pact that if we die, we die together.” Seven said while attempting to smile. 

Kathryn chuckled which caused another fit of coughing. “Or, just hear me out… we don’t do that but we just live every moment… as if it is going to be our last. Loving and enjoying each other.”

“Sounds good.” Seven whispered, letting the topic of the fragility of life drop.

She rose up on her knees and leaned over the tub so she could kiss Kathryn again. Death _was_ inevitable and she could not keep her Kathryn safe forever… But she was damn well going to try and in the meantime she was going to make sure that this woman knew how much she loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not an expert on the Patfinder Project so I hope I got everything right. If not, please let me know or just forgive me. ;)
> 
> Also, I have only watched the Star Trek TV Series and Movies. I haven't read any of the books yet. But I found the names of Kathryn's mother and sister online as they do appear in the books apparently. So I will use them instead of giving them names of my own.
> 
> If you have any thoughts on this chapter or the story in general, let me know through the comments!


	18. Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this story and a special thank you to those of you who have been leaving comments and feedback since the first part of this series. 
> 
> I can now say with certainty that after this chapter, there will only be one more chapter left for Wakeful Water. Originally I had this one merged with that last one but it got too long so I split them up. Which also means I get to post something today. :) I hope you will enjoy!

After the bath, Seven helped Kathryn get back to bed. She was visibly tired again as she couldn’t control her yawns anymore. 

“A bath always makes me tired.” She mumbled as she got back under the covers.

“You should get some sleep then.” Seven told her. “Are you sure it is okay for me to leave to talk to your mother, I mean… it could wait so I can stay.”

“No, no. You go.” Kathryn said while closing her eyes. “I will be fine.”

“Okay, I will call the Doctor to come over then.” Seven told her, already moving her hand up to her combadge.

“What?” Kathryn snapped her eyes open again.

“To watch over you. I am not leaving you alone.” Seven explained.

“I am perfectly able to sleep on my own, Seven.” Kathryn complained. “You will only be gone a few minutes.”

Seven hesitated, biting her lower lip again in indecision. “I don’t know, Kathryn. The Doctor trusted me with your care.”

“ _If_ he finds out, which he probably won’t, just tell him I made you do it.” Kathryn mumbled while closing her eyes again. 

Seven looked down at her girlfriend, knowing it would be useless to continue this discussion with her. Not only because she was rapidly falling asleep, but also because she knew how stubborn Kathryn could be.

Walking towards the living room she finally made her decision. After all, she was the one responsible for Kathryn’s care, so the decision would be hers.

“Seven of Nine to the Doctor.” She called out her hail as softly as she could.

“Hello Seven. How is the patient?” The Doctor’s voice replied and Seven quickly looked back into the bedroom to see if Kathryn had heard but she hadn’t moved at all.

“She is fine, falling asleep again.” Seven answered him. “I wanted to ask you if you could watch her for a few minutes. I have this isolinear chip and I wanted to tell the Captain’s mother about her condition before she hears it from someone else.”

“That is very thoughtful, Seven.” He said. “I am on my way.”

“Just one more thing.” Seven quickly explained. “Could you maybe make sure that she doesn’t notice you? She didn’t really like the idea of me getting someone to babysit her.”

“What a surprise.” He chuckled. “But I was actually hoping to give her another dose of medication and she might wake up from that. Also, I would rather not do that without her knowing about it.”

“I understand.” Seven replied. “Could you wait with the hypospray until I got back?”

“I guess I could.” He granted.

After a few more minutes, during which Seven kept the channel open, the Doctor announced that he was at their door. She quietly let him in and saw that he was carrying the chest with Isai’s telescope.

“You left this in Sick Bay.” The Doctor told her as he handed her the chest, thankfully he was whispering.

“O, thank you.” Seven had not forgotten the chest but she hadn’t really figured out what she wanted to do with it yet.

“She has eaten some breakfast and had a bath.” Seven told the Doctor in a whisper while he peeked into the bedroom at the sleeping Captain.

“Good job, Seven.” He complimented her. “You might be a better nurse than Mr. Paris.”

“Just for Kathryn.” She blurted out and then felt herself blush. “I should go to Astrometrics or I might miss my timeslot.”

“You go have a nice talk with Mrs. Janeway and I will make sure not to make any sounds.” The Doctor assured her and after shooting the sleeping Kathryn one last glance, Seven quietly slipped into the corridors. The chest still in her hands.

It felt a little strange walking through the corridors again feeling… happy. The past weeks had been so stressful that it almost felt like she was walking on clouds now that Kathryn was truly home again.

She waited patiently outside the Astrometrics Lab for the crewmember who had the timeslot before her to give the signal that he was done. She tried not to stare at the chest in her hands while she waited but it almost felt like it was staring at her. 

When the doors opened she quickly put it away in a corner with other equipment and then swiftly established a link with the Janeway residence, hoping that Kathryn’s mother would be home. 

She hadn’t been able to let her know about this call after all, so chances were that she wouldn’t be there.

Her heart was beating a little faster than usual. She was always a bit nervous before calling Kathryn’s family. Those nerves usually quickly disappeared when the call began but it still felt a bit strange to talk to the people who knew her girlfriend so well. 

Sometimes she wondered what they must think of their relationship but she never asked… afraid of the answer even though both Gretchen and Phoebe had always been nice to her.

She felt the seconds tick away and she silently berated herself for how flawed this plan was. She didn’t even know what time it was in Indiana right now, she could be calling in the middle of the night.

Then suddenly the screen flickered and Gretchen came into view. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Janeway. It is Seven. Can you hear me?” Seven quickly asked her while keeping her hands at the controls to readjust the connection if necessary. 

“Seven! What a nice surprise, I wasn’t expecting your call at all. Did I miss your letter?” Gretchen asked as she sat down in the rocking chair that was positioned in front of her viewing screen.

“No, you didn’t. I am sorry that I am calling you unannounced. Is this a good time?” Seven felt very flustered now.

“Of course, darling. A call from the Delta Quadrant is always welcome. Is everything alright?” Gretchen asked her, concern clear in her voice.

Seven hesitated for a moment, not sure where to start. She really should have prepared herself better. What had she been thinking?

“Everything is fine. We just visited an alien civilization and well… Kathryn got sick. She is fine now but I thought you should know before you found out some other way.” Seven told her, trying to talk fast to make sure that she wouldn’t worry Gretchen too much while also keeping her eyes on the clock ticking away their time.

“That is very kind of you. Was it serious?” Gretchen leaned in closer to the screen.

“It was… it was an illness unlike any Starfleet had ever encountered before.” Seven tried to explain the Blight while avoiding the details. “It took us a while to figure out a cure but we did and Kathryn has been released from Sick Bay today. She is recovering in her quarters right now.”

“Good...” Gretchen leaned back in her chair in relief and started rocking back and forth. “Do you need some help?”

“I’m sorry?” Seven asked, confused as to what she could mean by that.

“I know Kathryn, my dear.” Gretchen chuckled. “She is a terrible patient. Takes after her father in so many ways! So impatient and so stubborn. Keeping them in bed while recovering from an illness… those were some of the hardest challenges I ever had to face.”

Seven smiled, imagining her stubborn Kathryn as a child. “She is being very good so far.”

“You must have a good influence on her.” Gretchen told her. “Is she eating?”

“Not as much as I would like.” Seven admitted and then had an idea. “Were there any dishes or treats she liked to eat when she was sick as a child?”

“Why, yes.” Gretchen stopped rocking for a moment. “There is this secret Janeway family recipe for a leek and potato soup that has been passed down for generations. Her father used to tell Kathryn it had magical leprechaun properties that could heal anything. So every time she got sick, she would gobble down that soup and then close her eyes to let it take effect.”

Seven had to laugh at that image, while silently trying to figure out how she could recreate a secret family recipe as a surprise… or maybe she should just ask Kathryn about it.

Gretchen was silent too for a moment, rocking back and forth. “I will send you the recipe.”

“Are you sure? Isn’t it a secret?” Seven asked her in surprise.

“It is, so you can’t share it with anyone else. Especially Kathryn.” Gretchen told her, all serious again.

“Why not Kathryn?” Seven didn’t understand. “She is a Janeway after all.”

“Which is why she doesn’t know it. This recipe was given to me by my mother in law, who got it from her mother in law and so on.” Gretchen explained. “The ‘born Janeways’ never knew the recipe themselves.”

Seven frowned, unsure whether she understood what was going on with this soup. Then she saw that she was already in her final minute.

“Thank you very much for sharing it with me, then.” Seven quickly said.

“You are welcome, dear. Thank you for telling me about Kathryn and for taking care of her.” Gretchen smiled at her. “I used to worry so much about her, so far away from home. But ever since I heard about you two… I worry a little less.”

Seven hoped Gretchen couldn’t see how much she was blushing at that statement. “Thank you, Mrs. Janeway.” She mumbled, unsure what to say next.

“Just call me Gretchen, dear.” Gretchen reminded her. “Now I will send this recipe to you in the next data stream. If I hurry I can make the next deadline and you should have it soon.”

“Again, thank you so much… Gretchen.” Seven felt weird calling Kathryn’s mother by her first name but it also felt nice.

“Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, Seven!” Gretchen quickly called out, knowing that their time was running out. “Tell Kathryn I love her and take care of each other.”

“We will.” Seven said but she was unsure whether or not Gretchen had heard her as the connection was lost. 

She had drawn the isolinear chip of the last comm call of that day and Voyager was once again out of reach of the families back home in the Alpha Quadrant.

She was happy she was the last one though because she could stay there for a moment to get her bearings back. Talking to people back on Earth, especially while being on a time limit, was always a bit nerve wrecking but this talk had been quite nice. She couldn’t stop thinking about little Kathryn…

Heaving a bit sigh, she quickly closed down the systems and then strode back out into the corridors. Eager to get back to the Captain’s quarters.

When she returned she found that Kathryn had slept through her absence. The Doctor agreed for Seven to administer the hypospray the moment the Captain woke up, feeling confident that Seven could take care of that as it was already loaded with the right dosages. 

Seven was grateful for his confidence and for leaving them in peace. While being careful not to make any sounds, she put back all of Kathryn’s things she had brought back from Sick Bay. Ordering the books on Kathryn’s shelf in the exact order in which she had taken them down. 

She was just putting back the things in the bathroom when she heard Kathryn coughing again. Quickly she hurried back to her side and saw her rising up slightly to get more air. Seven quickly reached out her arms to try and help her.

Kathryn gratefully accepted another glass of water, after which she could speak again. “Hi there.” She told Seven with a smile.

“Hi.” Seven returned the smile. “How was your nap?”

“Good.” Kathryn answered even though she sounded a bit hoarse and she kept rubbing her own chest.

“The Doctor was here.” Seven quickly looked away because she knew Kathryn must realize that she had him babysit her after all. “He gave me a hypospray to give you which should help with the pain.”

That did distract Kathryn for a while and Seven made sure that she pressed it against the exact same spot as she had seen the Doctor do countless times and then pressed the button which released the drugs into Kathryn’s bloodstream.

Sighing Kathryn leaned back in her pillows as she felt the drugs take effect. “How was your talk with my mother?”

“She wanted me to tell you that she loves you.” Seven said while tucking some of Kathryn’s hair behind her ear. “I was quite relieved that I caught her and that I didn’t call in the middle of the night. We had a very nice talk, I didn’t share any details about the Blight and I don’t think I worried her too much.”

“Good.” Kathryn smiled.

“She will probably send you a letter in tomorrow’s data stream. She did mention the deadline.” Seven continued but left the part of the soup out of the story. She wanted that to be a surprise. 

“Can’t wait.” Kathryn chuckled. “It is probably going to be a lecture on being a good patient. My mother was always a bit uptight when one of us fell ill.” 

“Funny.” Seven grinned at her. “She told me a very different story.”

“Oh God.” Kathryn groaned. “What did she tell you?”

“I think that is between her and me, Kathryn.” Seven teased her as she leaned in closer. “All I can say is that apparently you were a very stubborn child but… that is no surprise.” 

Then she quickly kissed Kathryn’s lips which had turned into a pout while also cutting off any further remarks on the subject. Seven gently climbed back on the bed as they sunk back into each others arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of Seven's talk with Kathryn's mother? 
> 
> Please let me know what you think. Even if you read this chapter months after it was posted. ;)


	19. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go... the last chapter of Wakeful Water. Enjoy!

Now that Kathryn was awake again, Seven tried to get her to eat some broth but the Captain did not seem very enthusiastic about food. So Seven just spend the rest of the day taking care of her. She held her in her arms as she continued to read to her. She even sang to her for a while as Kathryn told her about her favorite songs. 

After 7 pm the Doctor called to ask whether he should stop by or if the Captain wanted to come to Sick Bay instead. Kathryn hesitated for a while but then asked the Doctor if he could come by her quarters which he did.

He took some scans and told her that she was still making progress even though she still experienced some pain and general discomfort. When he told her she just had to patient and let her body heal, Seven turned away to hide her smile.

The Doctor handed her another hypospray to give to Kathryn before she fell asleep for the night. It contained some drugs that would hopefully help her sleep through the night as sleep was a very important part of the healing process. 

“If you want I could sit with her tonight. You might want to regenerate again?” He asked her with a cocked eyebrow.

“No, thank you.” Seven answered standing her ground. “I will get some sleep but I don’t need to regenerate right now.”

“Alright then.” The Doctor said as he walked back to the door. “Just remember to take care of yourself as well, Seven.” 

Seven rolled her eyes at the closed door and then quickly returned to the bedroom. 

“Would you like another bath or is there something else I could do for you?” Seven asked Kathryn. 

“Just hold me.” Kathryn opened her arms, beckoning Seven to come closer. So Seven laid back down on the bed, this time she did get under the covers, stroking Kathryn’s hair and keeping her close. 

Right before her girlfriend started to drift off to sleep she gave her the medication and with another kiss, the Captain of Voyager drifted back to sleep.

Seven watched her for a while, wondering if Gretchen would get the recipe into the data stream that was supposed to arrive tomorrow. If not… she would just have to figure out something else to get Kathryn to eat. 

As she started to go through all the recipes in her head, enjoying the feeling of Kathryn’s body against her, she drifted off to sleep herself.

Kathryn woke up feeling warm and comfortable. For the first time in what seemed like forever she also didn’t feel the need to cough out her lungs the minute she woke up. 

Snuggling closer to the warm body pressed up against her she heaved a big sigh as she tried to hold on to the peaceful feeling for as long as she could.

Seven’s hands moved over her back, signaling that she was awake as well. Then her voice added to the perfection surrounding them. “Good morning, Kathryn.”

“Hmmm.” Kathryn just hummed, not really wanting to break the spell. 

“Did you sleep well?” Seven whispered in her ear which caused shivers to run along Kathryn’s spine.

“Yes.” Kathryn sighed. “Did you?”

“I actually did.” Seven sounded surprised and Kathryn leaned back to look at her face.

Seven looked breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair had fallen loose from their pins and the golden strands fell gracefully on her pillow. Her face was a bit flushed from the warmth they shared under the blanket and her blue eyes were sparkling as they looked down at her, a lazy smile grazed her lips.

Kathryn couldn’t help herself as she stretched up to reach those lips with her own. The kiss started out soft and peaceful but then deepened as Kathryn moved so that she was lying on top of Seven. 

Then Seven’s combadge beeped. “The Doctor to Seven of Nine.”

His voice was soft, as if he knew he was intruding on their precious moment. Kathryn grimaced as Seven gave a loud groan before she answered the hail.

“Yes, Doctor?” She said, keeping her eyes locked on Kathryn’s and keeping her in place with her arms.

“I just wanted to ask if the Captain had woken up yet.” The Doctor told her. “It is time for another checkup and perhaps another hypospray of medication.”

“She is awake.” Seven answered with a slight hitch in her voice as Kathryn was continuing to stroke her hands up and down Seven’s arms. 

“Good.” The Doctor hesitated. “Should I come over?”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea.” Seven said and Kathryn threw her an annoyed look. 

She did not want the Doctor to come over… at least not now that they were having fun. Then Seven ended the hail and before Kathryn could say anything she was rolled back to her back with Seven hovering over her. 

“Time to behave, Captain.” Seven teased her. She then planted a last kiss on Kathryn’s nose and got up.

Kathryn sighed and watched as Seven made her way into the bathroom. She could hear the water running for a while and when Seven came back into view, every hair was once again into place and all traces of the sleepy peace were gone. 

“What do you want for breakfast?” She asked her, apparently ready to play the nurse again. “Besides coffee.”

“I don’t need anything besides coffee and you.” Kathryn answered her, not really feeling like eating yet. 

Seven sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking some of Kathryn’s hair away from her face. The concerned look was back on her face and Kathryn immediately regretted her answer.

“Those banana pancakes from yesterday were pretty good.” She said.

“Coming right up.” Seven stood up and walked out of the room. 

Before she could come back, Kathryn heard the Doctor enter her quarters. She could hear him talk to Seven for a bit but they were talking too softly for her to make out the words. Then he appeared in the doorway and Kathryn tried to sit up, to present herself in the best possible way so he might declare her healed already.

“Good morning, Captain.” The Doctor greeted her as he got his instruments out. “You look well but how do you feel?”

“I feel good, Doctor. Almost as good as new.” Kathryn told him. “I haven’t even coughed today.”

The Doctor smiled down at her but continued his scans. Seven came in with the tray and Kathryn reached over to take the cup of coffee. It probably wouldn’t bother the Doctor’s examination if she was drinking. Besides the caffeine would help her feel even better. 

“Looks like you really are almost back to normal.” He finally concluded. “I don’t think I have to give you another dosage. Your body can handle the last few stages on its own.”

Kathryn smiled triumphantly at Seven who returned her smile.

“That being said. It will still take some time for you to get your strength back. Your lungs might be healed but your body really took a hit.” The Doctor reminded her. “So I would like you to stay in bed, at least for today.”

“That’s fine.” Kathryn answered while glancing at Seven over the rim of her cup. 

The Doctor looked a little uncomfortable but before he could say anything else, the door to her quarters chimed. Seven quickly moved out of the room to answer it.

When she came back, Neelix was with her. “Good morning, Captain.” He said with a beaming smile. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”

“Thank you, Neelix.” Kathryn said. “How are you and how are your hiccups.”

“O, the Doctor had that cleared up in no time.” Neelix gave the Doctor a pat on the shoulder. “I’m very happy to be back at work. Which is why I am here. The new data stream from the Alpha Quadrant came in about an hour ago and I have some letters for you, including one from your mother.”

Kathryn shot Seven an apprehensive look as she accepted the padd from Neelix. “Thank you, Neelix.”

“Got one for you too, Seven.” He told her as he handed out another padd.

Kathryn saw Seven smile as she quickly scanned the content of her letter and wondered what it said. 

“I should get back to Sick Bay.” The Doctor told them. “Remember, Captain. Stay in bed and try to regain your strength.”

Kathryn just nodded at him. She had already opened her own letter and she saw that it was filled with advice about her recovery.

“I should go too, I still have some letters to deliver.” Neelix said.

Kathryn noticed Seven walking them to the door and she could hear her talk to Neelix for a while before he left. When she got back she had an excited look on her face.

“What’s going on Seven?” Kathryn asked her suspiciously. “Please, tell me you and Neelix aren’t planning something.” 

“I promise you we are not.” Seven sat down on the edge of the bed again, still holding her own padd. “I just asked him if I could use the kitchen in the Mess Hall this morning.”

“Why?” Kathryn looked at her in surprise.

“I want to make you something special.” Seven told her. “These replicated pancakes are not doing much for you.”

“Oh, really they are very good.” Kathryn quickly assured her as she looked down at her plate which she had hardly touched. “I am just not really in the mood for any food right now.”

“Hence my wish to cook something for you.” Seven pressed on. “Something I am sure you will like.”

“Okay then.” Kathryn said as she knew she wouldn’t get any more answers. “I should get to work answering this letter, it is pretty long and I am sure it is filled with lectures about taking care of my health.”

“Your mother is just looking out for you.” Seven told her.

“I got you for that now, don’t I?” Kathryn joked.

“Yes… yes, you do.” Seven’s voice turned soft and then she leaned in for another kiss. “I will be back as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry about me. It will take me some time to get through my mother’s lectures.” Kathryn frowned.

“Promise me you will stay in bed?” Seven stood up and looked down at her with a stern look on her face. “Or should I ask the Doctor or maybe Chakotay to stay here with you.”

“I am fine, Seven. I would rather answer this letter in private and yes, I promise I will stay in bed.” Kathryn quickly assured her, giving her hand a final squeeze before she watched Seven walk away.

Seven was thrilled that Gretchen had been able to send the recipe after all. There were some final warnings with it, once again telling her not to share the recipe with anyone. But they were not necessary, Seven knew she would take this recipe with her to her grave.

She quickly secured a secluded corner in the kitchen of the Mess Hall as she worked on the soup. She had told Neelix to stay away but he had been very curious at first as to what she was up to and had promised her he wouldn’t ruin the surprise. After she told him it was a secret family recipe he suddenly backed away, stating that he understood the sacredness of secret family recipes.

Seven herself wasn’t completely sure she understood it herself. Why would they keep this recipe secret? Only to make it seem extra special? That seemed a little superstitious to her. But then again if it made stubborn children like Kathryn believe in its magical healing properties, a clear sign of the placebo effect, it could be worth it to keep the mystery alive.

The preparation of the soup didn’t take long and many of the ingredients were available from the hydroponics garden, those that weren’t she replicated. Making the soup had a very calming effect on her, while she prepared all the vegetables she tried to anticipate Kathryn’s reaction. Still Seven made sure to focus and to follow the recipe to the last detail, wanting to make sure it tasted exactly the same as if Gretchen had made it.

When it was done she took the pot back to the Captain’s quarters and very carefully placed it on the table in the living room. Then she went back to the bedroom to check on Kathryn, finding her sitting up in bed with a deep frown on her face as she was typing away on her padd.

“Kathryn?” Seven asked concerned. “Is everything alright?”

“You are back.” Kathryn sounded surprised, apparently she had not even heard her come in. “Everything is fine. It is just… my mother. She still treats me like a child! Even though I am a Starfleet Captain, stuck in the Delta Quadrant she apparently still feels the need to scold me. How is that fair?”

Seven didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this mood change to come over Kathryn as she read her own letter from Gretchen. 

“Anyway.” Kathryn sighed, putting down the padd. “I wrote my reply, telling her what I think of her meddling.”

“She loves you, Kathryn.” Seven told her in a soft voice, stroking the back of her hand with her fingers. “Just imagine what it must be like for her, having her daughter so far away and not being able to help you.”

“Still, that doesn’t justify her words.” Kathryn replied although her tone had softened a bit. “But enough about my mother. What have you been up to?”

Seven hesitated, Kathryn clearly didn’t want to talk about her mother anymore but the soup would surely bring her up again… maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.

“I uh…” Seven stuttered. “I made you some soup.”

“Oh.” Kathryn sounded surprised. 

“You don’t have to eat it now. It will keep warm.” Seven quickly said. 

“No… I would actually like some soup.” Kathryn said and there was a strange but somewhat eager expression on her face. 

“Okay, I will get you a bowl.” Seven suddenly felt nervous as she walked back to the living room, hoping that her plan to make Kathryn feel better wouldn’t backfire.

Kathryn put the padd on her nightstand. She would reread her reply to her mother again after eating, taking out some of the sharper lines. Seven had been right of course… her mother was just concerned for her. 

She remembered all the battles she had raged as a child whenever she had fallen ill… she just hadn’t expected to have to fight like that when she was an adult and especially not while she was stuck on the other end of the galaxy.

Shaking her head she tried to banish all thoughts of her mother from her mind as she watched as Seven walked back in, once again carrying a tray. 

Kathryn smiled at her but that smile froze when the smell of the soup entered her nose and she looked down at the bowl… Suddenly she was that little girl again and she was calm and safe in her family’s home, eating the leprechaun soup that would make everything right again. 

She looked up at Seven, surprise written all over her face and then she saw Seven watching her apprehensively, biting her bottom lip in anticipation of her reaction.

“I made you your mother’s soup.” Seven explained hesitantly. “She send me the recipe in the data stream this morning.”

With a shaking hand Kathryn picked up the spoon and tasted a mouthful. Tears sprung into her eyes as all the memories came rushing back. Memories of her mother, father and sister. 

She looked back at Seven through her tears and then they spilled over. Seven had made her her mother’s soup… 

She watched in silence as Seven sunk down on her knees next to her bed, softly taking her hand which wasn’t holding the spoon in her own. “I am sorry… I did not want to upset you. I thought… well your mother said that you loved to eat this soup when you were ill as a child… that you believed it to be magical and I… I just wanted to make you feel better.”

“Oh, Seven.” Kathryn smiled down at her, pulling back her hand to stroke her face. “My sweet, sweet Seven.”

She put down the spoon to wipe away the tears from her cheek, feeling silly for overreacting like this. But somehow she couldn’t stop crying… it was like she was being hugged by both Seven and her mother at the same time. 

Seven quickly got up and put the tray aside before climbing back on the bed and holding Kathryn in her arms, stroking her hand across her back to calm her down.

When Kathryn could finally feel her tears drying up she looked up in Seven’s blue eyes and saw the uncertainty there. So she quickly reached up to pull her head down to her own and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Kathryn.” Seven smiled down at her, still looking a bit hesitant. 

“This was just so unexpected.” Kathryn said as she reached for the bowl. Seven quickly held it out to her and then Kathryn started eating the soup again. Closing her eyes to truly enjoy it. “It tastes exactly like my mother’s.”

When she opened her eyes again she saw Seven beaming down on her with pride. “I am glad you like it.”

“I can’t believe she gave you the recipe…” Kathryn mumbled in between bites. 

“Well she did tell me it was a secret and I am not even supposed to share it with you.” Seven told her. “But I guess she wanted you to have a taste of home now that you are so far away.’

“I asked her to send me the recipe in my very first letter to Earth. She refused.” Kathryn laughed. “She said that just because I was stuck in the Delta Quadrant, it was no reason to break with tradition.”

“Oh.” Seven frowned. “Well I guess she changed her mind.”

“It is more than that…” Kathryn continued. “When I was back home, about a year before I became the Captain of Voyager, I got sick and Mark… he tried to take care of me. He asked my mother for the recipe as he knew the stories… she refused him too.”

She felt Seven shift beside her and looked up at her face. She was staring at the opposite wall with a confused but also… proud look on her face. “Maybe she just trusts me not to share it with anyone.”

“Maybe…” Kathryn mussed. “But I think this is as close as you will ever get to receiving my mother’s blessing.”

At this Seven quickly looked back down at her, a deep blush appeared on her cheeks.

Quickly Kathryn leaned back up for another kiss and this time Seven allowed her to deepen it. Kathryn almost overturned the bowl of soup that was still in her hands but Seven caught it and steadied it for her. 

When they broke apart again, Kathryn was feeling breathless. She gave Seven a shy smile, unsure what to say now.

“You should finish you soup.” Seven told her softly, handing her back the bowl. 

So she did and then Seven got up to put the bowl away, taking the tray with her. She turned around in the doorway and winked at her. “Don’t worry I made enough for the leprechauns to completely heal you.”

Kathryn smiled and then reached over for the padd again. She struck out everything she had written to her mother and started a new letter but she wasn’t sure how to put everything she was feeling into words.

Then she looked up at Seven who was leaning against her doorframe, just smiling at her. She quickly glanced back at the padd and just wrote a few simple words.

_Thank you, Mom. The magic still works._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End... for now. 
> 
> It is so hard to let go of a story and to say it is complete. I spend a large part of today going through all the chapters again to get out as many mistakes as I could. Still any feedback is welcome.
> 
> I will get started on the next part of this series as soon as I can. Thank you all for your support and I am sending everyone who was affected by the Corona/Covid crisis a hot bowl of leprechaun soup. Take care of each other!


End file.
